Maybe It's Not Too Late
by Breathe Artistic
Summary: Piper Levesque is Paul Levesque's younger sister, who is trying to break into his business. She begins to fall for the one and only Jeff Hardy and what does Paul have to say about it? Will Piper end up loosing her big brother?
1. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 1

" Are you completely sure you want to go through with this sis?"  
" Paul, don't doubt me, I'm ready."  
Her brother Paul and she, Piper, walked into the giant arena. Wrestling is in her and now was her chance to prove to everyone that she was worthy of being a talent in the WWE for being Piper and NOT Triple H's younger sister. Yes, it's amazing isn't it? There is another 'game.'  
" Piper move it! Vince wants to see you!" Paul called.  
" I'm coming!" She yelled back.  
Sighing, Piper followed Paul through the door to meet Mr. Vince McMahon himself.  
" This must be Piper," He said. " Nice to finally meet you."  
" It's nice to meet you as well Mr. McMahon."  
" So you're interested in wrestling here with us? This must have come from Paul."  
" Well, I can't let Paul take all the credit. I started watching on my own and I'm really into everything. I've always been athletic and I've trained a lot with Paul so I believe that I am qualified." Piper said.  
" All of that sounds very good. But what REALLY makes you want to break into the business?"  
" Everything, the athleticism, the acting, anything you can name, everything about the WWF absolutely captivates me."  
" I understand all that, but what can you do in the ring?"  
" I can do quite a bit in the ring, like I said before, I've trained with Paul so there's the power in my training and I'm pretty good at the off the top rope maneuvers but I'm improving those."  
" Well Piper, you seem very qualified to be a part of this company..."  
" Um...Mr. McMahon, I'm sorry to cut you off but I want to break into this business as myself, not as Triple H's little sister."

" I see, you want to come into the business as yourself, perfectly understandable. After all, following in 'The Game's' footsteps would be quite hard." Mr. McMahon laughed.

" My point exactly, I've been Paul's shadow long enough, it's time for me to be me." Piper said confidently.

" Well Piper your qualifications sound excellent. Now, if you'll just sign this, you will now be a part of this company."

" Thank you very much Mr. McMahon. I believe that I'll be a great addition to the WWE roster."

Piper signed the contract and shook Mr. McMahon's hand and left with Paul.

" So, you think you're gonna make it little sis?" Paul asked.

" I don't think Paul, I know." She said.

" Don't get too cocky around here Piper, you won't make any friends that way."

" Okay," Piper rolled her eyes. " So, are you gonna show help me meet some people or what?"

" Nope, you do that on your own," Paul said. " Meet me back here at 8:45."

" WHAT? URGH! Fine, see you at 8:45." Piper said, walking off down the hall.

" What in the HELL am I supposed to do for eight hours and 45 minutes? It just HAD to be noon!"

Piper sighed and walked aimlessly down the hall. As she was walking, she ran into a tall girl with long blonde hair, primping herself in the mirror. Piper had every intention of just walking by and not saying anything and trying to avoid the girl saying anything to her, but of course that didn't work. Spotting Piper's reflection in the mirror she whirled around and flashed her a fake 2-dollar smile.

" Hi! I'm Stacy Keibler! What's your name?" She chirped.

" Piper," She said. " Piper Levesque."

" Nice to meet you!"

" You too."

" Great! What did you say your name was again?"

" Piper." She said.

" Oh," Stacy rolled her eyes. " Well it was nice meeting you, maybe I'll see you around."

" Yeah," Piper grumbled. " See ya around."

Piper shook her head and continued her trip down the hall. On the next stop she ran into a girl with pretty long fire red hair and a guy with curly black hair, tied back in a ponytail. She had just averted her attention from her conversation with the guy as Piper was about to walk by.

" Hi." She smiled politely.

" Hey." Piper said.

" Oh geez! Where are my manners? I'm Amy Dumas." She said after a pause.

" No worries. I'm Piper Levesque."

" You're Paul's sister? Ah! We've heard so much about you!"

" Oh lovely," Piper joked. " So who's this?"

" This perv is Matt Hardy."

" Hi Matt, my face is up here not in my tits." Piper said, waving her hand in his face.

" I'm really sorry, I was reading your shirt." He said.

" It's alright." Piper said.

She was wearing a black shirt that said 'You'd be dead without me...why are you still here' on it in red letters. One of her absolute favorites.

" You'd be dead without me, why are you still here," Amy read. " That's great! Where'd ya get it?"

" The one and only Hot Topic." Piper replied.

" There's a Hot Topic in Greenwich?" Amy asked.

" No, I live in Raleigh." Piper said.

" NO WAY! We're in Raleigh all the time!" Amy exclaimed.

" Too cool!" Piper smiled.

" Come on, you gotta meet Jeff!" Amy squealed, grabbing my hand.

" Jeff? Who's Jeff?"

" You'll see!" 

Amy grabbed Piper's hand and they ran down the hall together in search of a guy named Jeff. The girls bounded into a room to see a guy with green hair dancing around with headsets on in leopard print pants and a white wife beater. The music was up so loud they could hear 'Down With The Sickness' by Disturbed blaring through the headsets.

" Jeff! Hey Nero!" Amy called.

" JEFF!" Piper helped.

He just kept shaking his ass around.

" JEFF!" Amy yelled at the top of her lungs.

" WHAT!" He exclaimed, taking his headsets off.

" Hey, I want you to meet someone," Amy said. " This is Piper, she's new here."

" Nice to meet you." He said, shaking Piper's hand.

" You too." 

" You look really familiar." Jeff said.

" Oh, I'm Paul's sister." She said.

" ...Which Paul?" Jeff asked with a perplexed look on his face.

" Triple H, Paul."

" Oh cool." Jeff flashed me a cute little smile.

" I love your hair." Piper said.

" Thanks."

" Did Paul leave you alone?" Amy asked.

" Yep, he left me to fend for myself."

" Want me to show you around?"

" I'll do it!" Jeff chimed.

" Jeff are you alright?" Amy asked.

" Fine." He said.

" If Jeff wants to show me he can." Piper said.

" Okay, see ya later Piper." Amy said.

" Bye, it was nice meeting you Amy!"

" Come on, we got lots to do in so little time!" Jeff said, linking arms with me.

" Okay."

Jeff and Piper walked around the halls. He showed her a few things and introduced her to countless people. Everyone was so nice and cool, they all really seemed to be friend with Jeff. Piper met some more of the girls in the business and a whole lot of the guys. Every time Jeff would introduce her to one of the guys or girls he would introduce her as Piper, not as Paul's sister or Trips' (that's what they call him) kid sister. Jeff is a great person, a little weird on appearance but he's sweet. He is quite the gentleman, opening doors for her, holding her hand down stairs, he showed Piper down to the ring and held the ropes for her. How sweet can a man be? Jeff and a friend of his, Adam Copeland (Edge), started joking around in the ring and Jeff had lifted Piper up and sat her on the top rope out of the way. While Jeff and Adam were wrestling Piper stood up on the top rope and when Jeff turned around Piper hit him with a hurrincanrana. Jeff sat up with a look of surprise flashing in his emerald eyes. He smiled and crawled over to Piper. She tried to crawl away but Jeff grabbed her foot and pulled her back to him. Jeff tickled Piper mercilessly as she laughed and squirmed to get away. Piper had just opened her eyes to see Paul looming above Jeff and she. Paul tapped Jeff on the shoulder and Jeff turned around and almost fell on top of Piper.

" What are you doing?" Paul asked, pulling her up off the mat.

" Nothing Paul, cool your jets." Piper said, fixing her hair.

Paul gave Jeff a death glare.

" Paul really, we were just joking around man." Jeff said, getting up.

" Paul, Jeff was showing me around we came out here and we were just playing around." Piper said.

" Yeah okay," Paul said. " Just come on, we got stuff to do."

" Um Paul...it's not 8:45 yet." 

" COME ON!" Paul basically shouted, dragging me away.

" BYE JEFF!" Piper called.

" Bye Piper."

**Later**

Piper sat in the lockeroom with Paul and Stephanie as they were going over things for that night's event.

" Paul, why'd you pull me away from Jeff earlier today." She asked, picking at her yellow nail polish.

" Like I was saying Steph." Paul ignored her.

" PAUL! Aren't you going to answer her?" Stephanie asked.

" No." 

" Why not?" Stephanie and Piper asked.

" Because I've told her before." Paul said.

" Oh don't get involved with the guys. Keep romance away from business. Please Paul!" Piper said.

" They're two different things and they shouldn't mix!" Paul said sharply.

" Whatever Paul. AND! I never said I liked Jeff. I just think he's a cool guy."

" Jeff is a nice guy," Stephanie said. " I saw you two walking around earlier."

" See, Steph thinks he's nice!" Piper said.

" Stephanie! Don't encourage her!" Paul whined.

" Why not? I don't see any problem, she needs to make friends, so what's wrong with her being friends with Jeff?"

" Thank you Stephanie! See Paul, Steph thinks it's fine!" Piper said, sticking my tongue out at him.

" So who are you going to listen to, Steph or your brother?" Paul asked.

" Steph, cuz she's a chick and I think she'd know just a LITTLE bit more about guys than you do."

Piper huffed at Paul and walked out of the room. She wandered down the hall and on the way she heard Jeff's voice coming out of one of the rooms.

" ...I mean she's gorgeous Matt! Cute little thing, shiny hair, long legs, and I mean longer than Stacy's long. She's a sweet girl, great personality, beautiful smile, great body, you can't ask for more than that!"

Piper bit her lip and smiled at what Jeff said.

" Yeah she's also Paul's sister." 

" Dammit." Piper cursed quietly.

Piper decided to stop eavesdropping and knocked on the door.

" Come in."

Piper walked in the door and Jeff's face instantly turned red. She smiled at him and sat down.

" Hey guys."

" Hey," Matt said. " Piper right?"

" That's me," She smiled. " How are you Jeff?"

" Fine...fine, and you?"

" I'm great, thanks for showing me around earlier by the way."

" No problem, it was my pleasure."

" So, when are you going to have your first match Piper?" Matt asked.

" Not for a while, they're still working on my in ring character." She replied.

" Are you changing your name?" Jeff asked.

" Nope, I thought Piper was pretty original anyway so why not just keep it." 

" Sounds logical."

" Uh Piper, you didn't hear what I said about you did you?" Jeff asked uneasily.

" Yeah, I did."

" Oh geez, I'm so sorry..."  
" Don't be it's alright," Piper smiled. " I'm truly flattered."

" Whew, that's a hell of a relief."

" I thought it was very sweet." Piper said with a smile.

" Really?" Jeff asked.

" Mmm-hmm."

" Well I'm glad that's out of the way." Jeff smiled.

Piper smiled. " Well, sorry just to run like this, I have to go. I'll see you guys around?"

" Definitely." The Hardy brother's chorused.

" Bye guys." Piper said, walking to the door.

" Bye Piper." Matt and Jeff chorused once again.

Piper smiled and walked out of the room and down the hall. While she was walking she ran into a small blonde girl, she was pretty and looked like she was ready for a match.

" Hi." She said.

" Hi." Piper smiled.

" I'm Trish Stratus, you? I mean, I've never seen you around here." She smiled politely.

" I'm Piper Levesque."

" So YOU'RE Paul's infamous baby sister? Oh gosh! I shouldn't say that! I mean, you have you're own identity." Trish said quickly.

" Thanks Trish, I mean, everyone said, 'hey, you're Paul's sister!' and I'm kinda getting tired of it. I mean, he kinda yelled at me earlier cuz I was hanging out with Jeff."

" Really?"

" Yeah, Paul's kinda anal sometimes, it sucks."

Trish laughed loudly. " I can't imagine, but I bet you've suffered."

" Yes, yes I have." Piper joked.

" Well you're NOTHING like Paul. I can already see you're gonna be a little ball of energy." Trish patted her shoulder.

" That's what my parents said when I turned 3," Piper laughed. " Then when I got to middle school, people laughed at me because I was freakishly tall."

" Aw, that stinks. How tall are you now?" Trish said.

" I'm 6 foot."

" You beat Stacy by an inch! You're officially the tallest girl in the WWE. So is it a legs thing or are you just tall?"

" It's a legs thing," Piper shook her head. " I was born with long legs...I can't tell if it's a blessing or not." 

" Well, it's better than being short." Trish laughed, throwing her hands up.

" Man Trish, you don't know how sometimes I'd LOVE to be shorter than what I am. But I'm stuck with being tall...I guess it runs in the family."

" Well, who knows, maybe around here, you can put those babies to work!" Trish laughed.

" Maybe Trish, maybe." Piper laughed along with Trish.

" Well, I have to get going, I've gotta talk to Lita about our match later on. I'll talk to you later okay?"

" Definitely. See ya Trish!"

" Bye!"

**Later**

" Piper! Great news!" Stephanie exclaimed.  
" Sup Stephie?"

She just gave Piper an annoyed look.

" Okay, I'm just kidding. What's up Steph?"

" That's better," She cracked a smile. " Now, you dear will be making your television appearance TONIGHT!"

" Are you serious Steph? Tonight?"

" Yes tonight! You're going to be back here with Paul and I, just kind of keep to yourself for a while. You get to feud with you brother on television," Stephanie smiled. " So how it goes is, Paul will turn around and look at you and ask you what you're doing here. You'll say something to him, like you wanted him to show you the ropes. And Paul will say something I suppose that would make you want to get back at him and walk out saying something and make sure that you include that he's your brother."

" Stephanie!" Piper whined.

" What?"

" WHY must I play Paul's sister on TV? I mean isn't it bad enough I'm REALLY his sister? Now I have to play her on TV! Stephanie...please...isn't there a way to get me out of this...at least for a while?"

" Piper." Stephanie whined like I did.

" Stephanie!"

" Piper."

" STEPH!"

" PIPER!"

" Stephanie! This isn't right! I don't wanna portray Paul's sister in AND out of the ring!" She exclaimed.

" Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do to get it changed."

" Thank you Stephie!"

She gave Piper the same annoyed look and left the room. She smiled and rested back against the couch she was sitting on.

" Maybe I'll get to valet for Jeff...or Edge maybe...that'd be fun." Piper said to herself.

Piper was just sitting there, thinking to herself when the door opened and Paul walked in.

" Piper."

" What?"

" Stephanie told me about how you were supposed to be on tonight."

" Yeah, and?"

" Nothing, nevermind."

" Your choice." Piper said.

" Listen Piper, don't start whining to get your way around here. Understand? I know you've worked hard, but don't take advantage of it, this is a privilege got that?"

" Paul! I am 23-years-old, I THINK I know that by now! I just wanted to make it clear that I am my own person, NOT just your little sister. And I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd treat me like the age that I am. I know you're only trying to look out for me Paul but PLEASE! Let me have my own identity! We'll always be brother and sister, there's no escaping that, but in the wrestling ring, please, please, let me have something to myself, I'm begging you Paul."

" Piper, I understand that you want to make a name for yourself on your own and that's fine. But you have to understand that no one gets anywhere with out a LITTLE bit of help along the way."

" Sure they do, I've seen it done. You remember Natyla right? She recovered from a broken back ON HER OWN. Nobody but me and Olivia came to visit her, not even her parents, she did that on her own. So Paul don't tell me that no one gets anywhere on their own." Piper said.

" You're impossible Piper, purely impossible."

" Well I get it from you."

" You know what, forget it. Do what you want, but if you crash and burn, remember what I told you, and you'll want the help then."

" Do you have that little faith in me Paul?" Piper asked.

" What are you talking about?"

" You don't think I can cut it on my own do you? You don't think I can make it! You don't think I deserve to be here, is that it Paul? You just wanted wrestling to be all your own! Well face the facts Paul, you're not the only one with this dream! I'm not going to let you steal it away from me because you don't think that I have the fortitude to be here! Put away all the bullshit Paul because I'm stronger than you think, and I CAN make it."

" I never said I didn't think you couldn't make it here."

" Then what Paul? What?"

" What I'm saying is that you can't just whine and cry around this business like you could at home! This is a working persons business Piper, and if you think that just because Stephanie is your friend that you can take advantage of that and have her do things for you then girl you are dead wrong. You work for what you get around here, it isn't handed to you Piper." Paul said.

" I never said ANYTHING about Stephanie, or trying to take advantage of the friendship that we have. You Paul, you insinuated that point! I'd never do that to Stephanie, never. You just don't understand how hard it is to work in YOUR shadow! You don't know what it's like to have everyone look at you and say 'hey, you're Paul's little sister'. You just don't get how hard it is for me to face it that I'm your younger sister and I'm trying break into the same business and trying to be my own person and have everyone take it for granted that I'm related to you and have everyone have standards set for me! I'm not you Paul. I'm not! And nobody understands that."

" I don't get why you think you're so misunderstood Piper." Paul said.

" Because I AM! You don't get it because you're part of the problem! You think that everything is just perfect but it's not Paul! If you took 2 minutes to actually get to know me now that I'm not a little girl anymore maybe you'd understand me, but you don't because you only think about yourself and what you can do with your damn character to get that fucking belt back! You're so self-involved that you don't care about me anymore Paul! I want my brother back...at least a little bit of him."

" Well Piper, you can't always get what you want." Paul said angrily.

Piper's jaw almost hit the ground, this was her older brother, the person who always cared about her, the one who she used to be able to come to for anything...anything at all. And now he's basically telling her he doesn't want her as his sister anymore, he doesn't want to give her that little piece of her brother back that she wanted to hold onto for the rest of her life. Paul was the one person Piper depended on, the one and only and now...well she must not be able depend on Paul anymore. A few tears that had been resting at the brim of Piper's eyelids fell down my cheeks as her blinked. Piper turned and ran out of the room, the tears falling quickly down her cheeks. she ran into the Women's lockeroom and sat in a chair in the corner. Piper was hoping there was no one in because she had started sobbing uncontrollably.

" Piper? Is that you girl?" Someone said.

She lifted my head up out of my hands and saw a blur of red and blonde. Piper wiped my eyes and Trish and Amy were standing in front of her.

" Yeah."

" What's wrong hun?" Trish asked, putting her arm around Piper.

Amy crouched in front of her, resting her elbows on her knees. " Yeah chica, what's the problem?"

Piper shook her head wordlessly and cried harder.

" Come on sweetie, what's the problem?" Trish said sweetly.

" I...I got into a fight...with Paul," Piper said disconnectedly. " And...and he just basically told me he...he didn't even want me as a sister anymore. He says he doesn't get why I think I'm misunderstood around him...but its because he won't take the time and get to know me...like he used to. Paul was my...best friend..." She started coughing.

" Shh...take it easy babe." Amy said softly, rubbing Piper's back.

" I thought I could always trust Paul but he can't stand me anymore." She cried.

" Oh honey. I don't think he can't stand you. People just say things they don't mean sometimes; it's not necessarily because he truly can't stand you. Maybe Paul's just upset about something. It isn't your fault sweetie." Trish said.

" Trish is right Piper. Just give Paul a little time to cool down from whatever is bothering him and try and talk to him then. Maybe he'll apologize for what he said."

" Nu-uh," Piper shook her head. " Once Paul says something it's said. He doesn't take things back, that's just how he is."

" But you're his sister baby, don't you think he'll feel bad?" Trish asked.

" Oh he'll feel back, but he's too much of an egotistical shithead to apologize." Piper said.

Amy and Trish remained silent for a moment. Slowly but surely, Piper began to see tears falling from Amy's eyes.

" What's wrong Amy?" Trish asked.

" Well...I may have only known Piper for 10 seconds but I really, really hate to see people mistreated, especially by family. Those are the people that are supposed to love you no matter what. I mean, Piper, I have a strong feeling that we're gonna be great friends through everything, but I just can't stand to see my friends hurt like this. It's just something about me that it absolutely irks me to death when people are purposefully hurtful to others," Amy wiped her eyes. " I know Paul but not well enough to know his habits, I know probably the only people here that know him that well are you, Piper, and Stephanie. Maybe you can talk to Steph and get a little more perspective on what Paul's problem is. But I can't give you much more direction than that."

" Amy's got a point, you and Stephanie know Paul well enough to know what he's going to do next. Like Amy said, I've only known you for about 30 minutes now and I can already feel this almost...sisterly should I say, connection with you. I have a feeling it's gonna be the three of us for a while." Trish said.

" Thanks girls. I really need friends like you two right now. I think I'm gonna go talk to Steph, see what's what." Piper said.

" Good idea Piper. So we'll see you later?" Amy asked.

" Yeah."


	2. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 2

" Aw Piper! Paul didn't mean all that sweetheart! I don't know what's wrong with him, maybe he's just adjusting to having you around more, I'm not sure honey, but he didn't mean all that nasty stuff he said." Stephanie said to me.

" If he didn't mean it, why'd he say it Steph?" Piper asked tearfully.

" I don't know truthfully Piper. But Paul loves you, you're his baby sister. Whatever it is that's bothering him I'm sure he'll get through it, he didn't mean all that, trust me." Stephanie said, hugging her.

" Thanks Steph...you've been a real big help." Piper said wiping her face.

" Any time you need to talk, you know you can come to me Piper. I'm always here for you."

" Thanks." Piper said again.

" Listen. Why don't you head down to hair and make-up and get all prettified just in case we need to put you in a story line tonight. When you get there, tell Janet, the brunette, that I sent you, she'll know exactly what to do with you okay." Stephanie said.

" Great," Piper smiled. " I'll see you later Steph."

" Bye Piper."

" Hey Steph," Piper poked her head back in the door. " Thanks again."

" You're welcome."

Piper smiled at Stephanie and left the room. Piper walked down the hallway and on her way ran into Amy.

" Hey girl, you doing okay now?" She asked.

" Yeah I'm better. Still a little down and out but I'm feeling better than I was before." Piper replied.

" Good," Amy smiled. " Hey if you want, Trish, Stacy, Torrie, Jeff, and me are gonna go to a club after the event if ya wanna hang with us."

" Sure. That'd be great! I don't feel like putting up with Paul right now."

" Cool. I'll come grab ya after the event and you can room with me okay?"

" Great. Thanks Amy."

" No problem. See ya later."

" Later."

Piper smiled and walked down the hall, she was happy to make a friend like Amy so quickly. She made her way down to hair and make up and coincidently ran into Trish.

" Hey Piper." She smiled.

" Oh. Heya Trish."

" How are you? Better I hope." She smiled again.

" Yeah I'm better. Still a little bummed but I'm doing better than before. Talking to Stephanie really helped me." Piper responded.

" Good. Did Amy tell you about after the event?"

" Yep. I'll be there."

" Great! Look, I gotta go, but I'll see you later on."

" Okay. Bye Trish."

" Bye Piper."

**Later**

Piper walked out of the Women's Lockeroom wearing her ring attire, a black shirt that looked like a bra top, a pair of tight black flared sweat pants and her wrestling boots. The tattoo on her left shoulder showed, a pentagram with her name written over it and flames coming off the sides, one more thing she had gotten done in spite her older brother's rampaging over protectiveness. She liked it and had always wanted a tattoo. As Piper made her way back to Stephanie's lockeroom she bumped into Jeff Hardy, stretching for his match.

" Hey Jeff." Piper said.

" Oh hey there Piper. How are you?"

" I'm well, how are you?"

" Damn good. Aimes told me you were gonna come hang out with us tonight."

" Yeah."

" We'll have fun," Jeff stood up straight. " You wrestling tonight?"

" I don't know. Stephanie told me to get ready just in case there's a gap and they need me." Piper said.

" Cool," Jeff smiled and peered at Piper's shoulder. " Nice tat. What is it?"

" It's a pentagram and my name and flames."

" Nice. That's cool," Jeff rolled down his armband and showed me his tattoo on his arm. " I'm not finished with it yet. Needs more color."

" That's cool." Piper smiled.

" Hey listen, I gotta jet for my match, but I'll see you later tonight okay?"

" Yeah, see you later Jeff."

Jeff smiled and flashed his gunz hand symbol at Piper and jogged down the hall. Piper smiled and walked back to Stephanie's lockeroom. Stephanie was talking on her cell phone when Piper walked in. Steph gave the "just a sec" gesture as she kept talking. Piper sat on the couch and crossed her legs as she waited for Stephanie to finish her conversation.

" Okay great...yes...okay...bye," Stephanie sighed. " Sorry about that."

" It's okay. You're a businesswoman." Piper smiled.

" I've got you a little storyline," Stephanie said. " Now it includes you..."

" Being Paul's sister? I understand. I was thinking about that and it was wrong of me to ask you to change it..."

" No not at all."

" But I you have to....wait, it doesn't?" Piper's eyes lit up.

" No it doesn't, not at the beginning," Stephanie smiled a bit. " I tired, I really did but there was no way out of it. I'm sorry."

" It's okay. I was thinking about that and I'll just have to live with it." Piper sighed.

" Well anyhow, it involves you tonight, getting involved with Jeff's match. You see, you give him the explanation that you've been following he and his brother for a long time and you are very impressed with him and you want to form a type of partnership. It will begin as strictly platonic, all business, and later escalate to a sort of lovey-dovey boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and that's where you being "Hunter's" sister comes into play. When he sees you two kissing or something, whenever the relationship begins then he'll pull you away from Jeff and tell him to stay away from his sister. Is that okay?"

Piper grinned. " It's fine."

" It's fine?" Stephanie asked bewildered.

" Yes it's fine," Piper smiled. " I get to be with Jeff."

" Oh. I see why you're so happy." Stephanie smiled.

" Yes. Amy invited me to go out with them after the show tonight."

" Oh? Who's going?"

" Just Amy, Trish, Stacy, Torrie, and Jeff."

" Jeff's the only male going?"

" I think."

" Probably not, knowing Jeff, he'll find someone to bring along."

" Yeah. I'm glad I get to do this storyline though, it's just right for me." Piper smiled.

" Yes it is, isn't it?" Stephanie said.

Piper smiled. " Now I can trust you not to tell Paul this right?"

" What is it?" Stephanie asked, raising an eyebrow."

" That I like Jeff." Piper whispered in Stephanie's ear.

" Aw! That's so sweet," Stephanie laughed. " I think you two would be so adorable together. You two fit like a glove on a hand."

" Oh thank you Steph. Hey, I'm gonna get going, I think I hear Jeff's music!"

" Whoa wait! You're not on until the end of the match. Jeff's in a cruiserweight title match against Billy Kidman, you come out just when Kidman is about to do the shooting star press and distract him on the outside, he'll get down off the top rope to try and shoo you away and Jeff will roll up Kidman for the pin. Jeff won't have seen you for the entire time because he was laid out on the mat, so when he wins he gets a glimpse of you walking up the ramp and he'll run after you. Once you two get backstage Jeff stops you and asks you why you were outside the ring and you'll give him the explanation." Stephanie explained.

" That's great Stephanie! You honey, are a genius." Piper exclaimed.

" Well thank you. Thank you," She joked. " Now you can go, wait at the curtain till you see Kidman climbing the turnbuckle and Jeff is in place."

" Okay. Thanks Steph."

" No problem."

***********************************************************************

" Billy Kidman, going up top. King I think he's going for that shooting star press!"

" If Kidman hits this shooting star it's all over for Jeff Hardy!"

" You're right King...but who...who the hell is that coming down the ramp?"

Piper ran down to the ring as Kidman climbed the turnbuckles for the shooting star press. Kidman saw her on the outside and climbed down, he leaned over the top rope, yelling for her to go away. Meanwhile Jeff Hardy recovers inside the ring and rolls Kidman up for the 1-2-3.

" And here you winner and NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion JEFF HARDY!"

Jeff's music plays as the mysterious raven-haired woman walked up the ramp. Jeff looks up the ramp in bewilderment and runs after her.

**Backstage**

" Hey! ... Hey! Slow down! Hang on!"

Jeff ran up to the girl and spun her around by her shoulder.

" Hey! Who are you?" Jeff asked.

" The name's Piper."

" Okay Piper. Why were you out there tonight huh?" Jeff asked.

" Look. I've been following you and your brother for quite some time and frankly, you boys impress me. But you Jeff Hardy, impress me the most."

" Thanks..."

" You impress me Jeff and I wanted to see you become the cruiserweight champion tonight. And from where I came in, Kidman almost have you beat."

" It may have looked that way," Jeff smirked. " But I do have to say thanks."

" No need for it Jeff." Piper said walking away.

" Whoa! Hey Piper! You're gonna give me THAT and just walk away? Come on, tell me about yourself." Jeff said.

" Yeah, sure."

***********************************************************************

" Nice job out there Piper." Jeff said with a smile.

" Thanks...I didn't do much though."

" Yeah, but you got acting skills." 

" Thanks Jeff," Piper smiled. " But I gotta go so I can change. I'll see you later right?"

" Definitely. Talk to ya later Piper."

" Later."

Jeff smiled and kissed Piper on the cheek and walked away. Piper sighed happily and walked down the hall towards Stephanie's lockeroom. She opened the door and Paul and Stephanie were sitting on the couch. Stephanie jumped up when Piper walked in.

" Piper that was great! You're a natural at this! I'm proud of you!" Stephanie smiled.

Piper smiled back. " Thanks Steph. I'm glad you watched me," Piper glared at her brother. " Did you?"

" Stephanie told me about the storyline, just as long as that's not really going to happen, then I am completely fine with it." Paul said.

" That wasn't my question Paul. Did you watch or not?" Piper said.

" Steph had it on. I glanced." Paul said.

" Paul speak for 'I watched the whole thing', you know how it is." Stephanie said.

" Whatever Steph. And Piper cover up that hideous tattoo," Paul stared at her arm in distaste. " I still can't believe you got that ugly thing on your arm like that."

" Excuse me Paul but on my last birthday I believe I turned 23-years-old, I'm an adult, and I got this with permission from Mom and Dad when I turned 21..."

" Permission? Mom and Dad hate it too! You went out and got it because they told you not to!"

" Either way, I was an adult when I got it. You're just mad cos it's got a pentagram on it," Piper smiled defiantly, knowing how to press her brother's buttons. " Jeff likes it, he thinks it's cool."

" I'm sure he does." Paul mumbled.

" What's that Paul?" Piper asked purposefully.

" Don't get started right now Piper, I am not in the mood for crap!"

" Touchy, touchy Pauly. Well I'm outta here, I gotta meet Amy. And I am rooming with her tonight so don't worry about me," Piper grinned. " Later y'all."

**Later**

Piper sat at a table with Amy, watching all their friends dance around, Jeff had gotten his friend Shannon to tag along and they were sitting at a table behind Piper and Amy.

" Hey, I noticed you got a tat, what's it of?" Amy asked.

" Oh, it's a pentagram, with my name in it and flames around it." Piper said.

" Cool! Can I see?"

" Sure."

Amy hopped around to the other side of the table and Piper rolled up the sleeve on her T-Shirt. Amy squinted against the dark lights to see it but gave up.

" I'll look at it in the room." Amy smiled.

" Okay."

A new song started to play in the club and Jeff walked up next to Piper, he had a slightly nervous look on his face, regardless, he tapped her on the shoulder.

" Hey Piper...you wanna dance?" Jeff asked.

Piper could see the red creeping up in his cheeks, even in the dark light. " Sure Jeff. I'll dance with you."

Jeff smiled and extended his hand. Piper took it and as she got up, smiled at Amy. Amy flashed her a thumbs up as she and Jeff walked away.

" I'll be a gentleman, I know how your brother is." Jeff whispered in her ear.

" I'd rather you weren't," Piper smiled mischievously. " Don't be a goody-two-shoes on account of Paul."

" As you wish my dear."

Jeff grinned and put Piper's long arms around his neck. He let his hands gently slid down them, down her shoulders, stomach, and to rest nonchalantly at on her bum. The song they danced to was "Hey Lover" by LL Cool J. Piper let her fingers slid through Jeff's silken hair that he finally let out of its usual ponytail. It almost felt good to Jeff that he could dance with a woman that he didn't have to break his back to hold, he liked Piper being as tall as she was, so if they were almost evenly matched, he liked her just the way she was. Jeff wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her to him. Piper gently rested her forearms on Jeff's shoulders and kissed his cheek. In return Jeff affectionately sucked on the side of her neck, unwittingly, he left a small hickey and little teeth marks as he was expressing his form of affection. Piper moaned in Jeff's ear, from the mix of grinding against him and him leaving his love bites on her neck. She knew deep down that Paul would see them on her sometime but she didn't care. The song was coming to an end and Jeff fearlessly brought his mouth to close atop of Piper's, in a breath-taking, knee weakening kiss. After they broke away Piper wobbled a bit but Jeff held her steady.

" You told me not to be a gentleman." Jeff grinned.

" I'm glad you weren't. I enjoyed that." Piper smiled.

" Maybe we'll do it again sometime. I've gotta go...I can feel Matt staring a hole in the back of my head."

" Yeah. That'd be nice."

" Talk to you later Piper," Jeff kissed her once more. " And in case I don't see you before you go to bed. Sweet dreams."

Jeff smiled and walked away. "...Sweet dreams..."

Amy came running up to Piper. She practically jumped on her back.

" DAMN PIPER! If that had involved stripping, you two woulda been outta here!" She exclaimed.

Piper blushed. " I think he gave me a hickey." She rubbed the side of her neck where Jeff had been nibbling.

" Come on, let's split." Amy smiled.

Piper and Amy left the club and headed back to the hotel. It was probably upwards of 2am when they got back so they had to be quiet, they **were** on the same floor as Paul. Amy and Piper managed to sneak into their room without a peep but collapsed in giggles when they got there.

" Oh my goodness! How's my neck look?" Piper giggled.

" OH SHIT! That's a hickey babe!"

" Damn! Paul can't see this! It's all red," Piper giggled again. " I need to cover it up," She yawned. " Tomorrow."

**The Next Day**

Piper and Amy woke up the next morning to a pounding knock on the door. Amy was the first to stir. She got up and drug herself to the door.

" Jeff?" She groaned.

" No Amy, it's Paul. Where's Piper?"

Amy rubbed her eyes. " Oh, I'm sorry Paul. I think she's still out over there."

" Only figured."

" My ass! I'm awake! Whatdaya want Paul?" Piper asked walking to the door.

" What's on your neck Piper?"

" Nothing, I laid on my bracelet last night." Piper lied, covering the hickey Jeff gave her with her hand.

" Really? What bracelet?"

" Chill out! I just took it off!" Piper said annoyed.

" Whatever Piper. Just be ready in 20 minutes, Stephanie will be here to pick you up."

" Yeah fine."

Piper sighed and shut the door in Paul's face. Amy laughed and sat on her bed.

" What's Paul's malfunction?"

" I dunno. He's had a stick up his ass since he caught Jeff tickling me in the ring yesterday."

" What's so bad about that?" Amy asked.

" He was like, lying on top of me." Piper giggled.

" Damn! You and Jeff really hit it off didn't y'all."

" Yeah. I mean, I really like Jeff. He's awesome."

" Judging by the way you two were grinding last night, I'd say Jeffro likes you too."

Piper laughed. " I felt it if that's what you're talking about."

Amy's jaw dropped. " Felt what?"

" Amy Dumas! If you don't understand what I'm talking about..."

Amy shuddered. " Nevermind! I picked up on it," She exclaimed. " It's just that... I've know Jeff for so long, he's like a brother to me and I can't even TRY and think on that track about Jeff."

Piper grinned. " I'll leave you with one last disgusting thought before I go shower," Piper smiled at an already disgusted Amy. " It felt hella good!"

" EW," Amy shrieked. " Piper! Did you HAVE to?"

Piper just giggled and walked into the bathroom.

**Later**

" Steph! He's great! I mean..."

" Whoa wait! WHAT in the blue hell is on your neck?"

" Shit! Can you see that?" Piper clasped one hand on the side of her neck.

" Duh Piper! I wouldn't have asked if I couldn't," Stephanie pushed Piper to a mirror. " You look like a vampire bit you!"

" Shut up! It's a hickey!" Piper giggled.

" Who'd you get a hickey from?" Stephanie asked in amazement.

" Jeff." Piper replied.

" Paul would FREAK if he saw that! And knew where it came from!"

" He already saw it. I told him I slept on my bracelet. Plus, I don't think Jeff knows he did it." Piper said.

" Well its' starting to look like...a rash or a bad birthmark...can you PLEASE cover it up!"

" Yeah, yeah."

Piper walked to her back and pulled out a bottle of foundation. She put some on her finger and dabbed it on her neck.

Stephanie gave an exasperated sigh. " Let me do that!"

Stephanie snatched the bottle from Piper and put the foundation on her neck, enough to cover up the mark Jeff left on her neck.

" Are you happy Steph?" Piper asked.

" Now, yes. It's not visible," She said. " Come on, let's go before Paul starts wonder where we are."

" Yeah, I wouldn't want him to hurt himself."

Stephanie and Piper left the room and headed to the arena. When they got there they ran into Jeff sitting on one of the equipment boxes with his friend Shannon talking.

" Hey Piper." He smiled.

" Hey Jeff," Piper smiled back. " Steph I'll meet you later, I need to talk to Jeff for a minute."

" Okay, hurry up though, don't let Paul catch you." Stephanie said.

" I won't, I won't!"

" Okay, bye."

" Later."

" Hop up," Jeff said, scooting over so Piper should sit between he and Shannon. " What's up cutie?"

" Nothing. You know you left a mark on me yesterday right?"

" Did I?" Jeff's eyes widened.

Shannon poked Piper in the neck where the hickey was. " Right there."

" Hey!" She exclaimed.

" Don't mind the little monkey. He's nosy," Jeff said. " What'd I do?"

" Gave me a hickey." Piper said.

" And you can see that Shannon?"

" Yeah, it's got make-up on it though," Shannon said. " There was a big glob of it left on there." 

" Are you serious? Damn Stephanie!" Piper exclaimed, trying to rub it in, but instead rubbed it off.

" Now it's gone." Shannon pointed out.

" Shit!"

" Come with me, Aimes will fix it." Jeff said.

Piper, Jeff, and Shannon jumped off the equipment box and walked towards Team Xtreme's lockeroom.

" Amy? You in here?" Jeff called.

" Yeah! Hang on!"

" Can't wait Aimes! I need your help!" Piper said.

Amy walked out of the bathroom in the lockeroom. " What's wrong?"

" Do you have any powder or foundation that can cover this up?"

Piper moved her hair to one side, exposing the hickey Jeff left on her.

" Uh...I think. Come with me."

" Can we rush this a bit? Paul's gonna end up looking for me if I'm not shortly behind Stephanie."

" You gave her a hickey Jeff?" Shannon exclaimed.

" I didn't mean to! I also didn't know I did it." Jeff said, scratching his head.

" Man. Her brother would take off your head if he found out about it."

" Yeah I know. So keep your big mouth shut Shannon Moore, I ain't trying to get my ass kicked! I mean I like her a lot. But...Paul could crush me."

Shannon grinned. " Me too."

" What the hell," Jeff smacked Shannon in the head. " What's wrong with you today?"

" What's wrong with him every other day?" Amy asked as she and Piper came out of the bathroom.

" Stupidity ... or just being a moron?"

" Hey not funny," Shannon protested. " I was just pointing out that Paul could not only kick your ass, but mine too if I tried to help ya. Y'know you ARE my best friend Jeff."

" Right...thanks Shan."

" Listen guys, I gotta go. But I'll see you all later?" Piper said.

" Yeah, definitely. I've got a match tonight partner." Jeff winked.

" Right. I'll be there." Piper smiled.

" Good," Jeff kissed her on the cheek. " I'll see you later then."

" Yeah...bye y'all."

" Later!" Amy and Shannon said.

" Where have you been?" Paul asked as Piper walked out of the Team Xtreme lockeroom.

" I was talking to Amy." Piper said.

" Yeah. Come on, Stephanie needs to talk to you."

" Sure."

**Later**

Piper walked out of the wardrobe room clad in a pair of blue, tight, low cut, flared, workout pants and a silver single-strapped shirt that showed her stomach and tattoo and a pair of black wrestling boots. She made her way back to Stephanie and Paul's lockeroom and when she got there, only Paul was there.

" You're wrestling in that?"

" If I wrestle tonight." Piper replied, sitting down and crossing her legs.

" Are you just valeting?"

" I don't know. I am accompanying Jeff to the ring today...but I'm not sure what else." Piper said, biting her nails.

" Don't do that." Paul said.

" Why?"

" It's disgusting."

" Whatever." Piper shrugged.

" Piper...what is that nasty mark on your neck?" Paul asked.

" Huh?"

Paul got up and put his finger on it. " That."

" I don't know." Piper said waving Paul away.

__

' SHIT! It came off again!' Piper thought to herself.

" You look like a vampire bit you." Paul said.

Piper cringed inwardly. " Maybe one did."

" Get real Piper, vampires don't exist."

" Sure they do. You just gotta look in the right places." Piper laughed.

" Please Piper."

" Next time we hit California, I'm gonna take Amy and make a trip to Sunnydale and fine me a Buffy and slay some vamps." Piper giggled.

" You are entirely too weird for me." Paul said.

" Live with it I'm your sister," Piper got up. " I gotta go find Steph and ask her if I'm gonna wrestle tonight."

Piper got up and left the room, walking down the hall. While she was looking for Stephanie she ran into Trish.

" Hey Piper!" She smiled.

" Hey Trish. What's up?"  
" We're having a match tonight. You and Jeff versus me and Bubba." Trish said.

" Cool! My first match on WWE T.V. and its alongside Jeff!" Piper exclaimed.

" Amy told me about your little encounter with Jeff at the club yesterday since I ended up not going." Trish said.

" Yeah, there's still a mark." Piper said.

" I bet. I heard Jeff really, really likes you." Trish said.

" From Amy?"

" Of course."

" Well if you can keep this a secret from Paul, I really like Jeff too." Piper said.

" You two would be cute together." Trish said.

" Yeah. You think?" Piper asked.

" Oh yeah! I could totally see you and Jeff together." Trish said.

" That's cool," Piper smiled. " Well, I gotta go find him and talk to him about this match. Later Trish."

" Later Piper."

Piper walked off down the hall and towards the Team Xtreme lockeroom. Once she got there, she knocked on the door. After a few seconds Jeff opened the door and stuck his head out.

" Hey." He smiled.

" Busy? I wanted to talk to ya."

" Not busy, just gettin dressed."

" Oh. I'll wait." Piper said.

" Come in...I've got....boxers on...it's not much but it's covering enough." Jeff grinned.

" Just the good parts." Piper winked.

" Mmm, naughty, naughty girl," Jeff smiled. " Come in."

Piper smiled and walked in, seeing clothes thrown all around the room. " Having a fashion dilemma Jeff?" She laughed.

" Sort of. What's your favorite color?" Jeff said.

Piper raised her eyebrows. " Black. Why?"

" That's no fun. Second favorite." Jeff said.

" Orange. Why?"

" I don't have orange, any more?"

" Answer me why first."

" I've got so many different colored shirts and I wanted your favorite color, so I could wear it."

" Oh...well...do you have silver? We could wear the same colored shirts."

" No silver...but I could....wear a white shirt under a black mesh one." Jeff suggested.

" Sure, why not." Piper smiled.

" Great."

" Jeff....don't you think you should put on your pants first?"

" Riiiiight." Jeff laughed.

Piper smiled as she watched Jeff dress for their match. " You've got a nice bum you know that Jeff."

Jeff took a short step forward and bumped into the chair. He let out what sounded like a squeak. Piper could see the red creeping up to his ears.

" Uh...thanks...I guess." Jeff said.

" Aw. You blush so easily." Piper teased, walking up to Jeff.

Piper wrapped her arms around Jeff and kissed the side of his neck. Jeff spun Piper around and sat her in the chair. Jeff kissed Piper on the lips, leaning his hands on the back of the folding chair. Piper put her arms around Jeff's waist as Jeff slid his tongue into Piper's mouth. Piper gave a moan and slipped her own tongue into Jeff's mouth. Jeff pulled Piper up and wrapped his arms around her upper body as their tongues remained tangled together. Jeff groaned as he felt himself becoming more than excited. Jeff reached up and gently touched Piper's face. The two were so distracted that neither of them heard the door open. Suddenly Jeff felt someone grab the back of his pants and dump him to the ground.

" What the HELL do you think you're going!?"

" PAUL!"

" I came to look for you and THIS is what I see! What the hell?"

Jeff jumped up off the floor. " Paul man look..."

" You! You stay away from my sister! And keep your damn tongue out of her throat!" Paul picked Piper up over his shoulder.

" LET ME GO! PUT ME DOWN!" Piper screamed.

" I don't EVER want to see the two of you together again unless it's for wrestling purposes GOT THAT?"

With those words, Paul carried a literally kicking and screaming Piper out of the room.

" PUT ME DOWN! PAUL LET ME GO! I AM 23-YEARS-OLD I CAN MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS! PUT ME DOWN DAMMIT!"

Paul dropped Piper from his shoulder and she landed on her feet. Her green eyes glinted with anger as she slapped Paul across the face.

" Who the hell do you think you are?"

" What kind of stupid question is that? What do you think you're doing in there huh?"

" That is absolutely NONE of your business! You had NO right to barge in there the way you did!"

" What do you think you're doing? Acting like a damn little slut!" Paul growled.

Piper's jaw dropped and she slapped Paul again.

" How DARE YOU call me a slut! I am your sister! How can you say that to me?"

" Because that's what you're acting like! Handing yourself out like that!"

" I am NOT handing myself out!"

" Then what do you call it?"

" Absolutely nothing! I was with ONE person and just because you don't like him doesn't mean I'm handing myself out and doesn't give you the right to call me a slut! Because I am not one!"

" Listen Piper, you two wrestle together and that's **it**, I never want to see the two of you together like that again, do you understand me? And if I catch you two together, consider it on **your **head what I do to the little freak! Do I make myself clear? You wrestle and that is it! If I hear anything of you two together I will go after him, understand? Don't let it get to me Piper or it'll be on you."


	3. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 3

The lights go dim and the Hardy Boyz music plays. 

" The following mixed tag match is scheduled for one fall! First, making his way to the ring, from Cameron North Carolina, the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Jeff Hardy!"

Jeff appears on the stage, glowing as usual. He does he own little dance and sprints down the ramp to the ring. He poses on the turnbuckles for the fans, head banging to his music. The lights go out and silver sparks shoot up from the stage as Enth E Nd (In The End- Reanimation mix) by Linkin Park starts to play. 

" And his partner, from Nashua New Hampshire, Piper!"

The mysterious raven-haired woman now known as Piper appears. She gives a smile and walks down the ramp, on beat with the song. Piper jumps up onto the apron and ducks between the middle and top ropes. She smiles and stands beside a crouching Jeff. 

" And their opponents, first, making her way to the ring, from Toronto Canada, Trish Stratus!"

Trish's theme begins and Trish walks out with a bright smile on her face. Trish gets into the ring and gives a smile as Bubba Ray's music begins to play. 

" And her partner, from Queens, New York, Bubba Ray Dudley!"

Bubba gets into the ring and the girls stand on the apron as the ref calls for the bell to begin the match. Jeff and Bubba lock up in the center of the ring. Bubba overpowers Jeff and pushes him to the mat. Jeff jumps right back up. Bubba shoots Jeff off the ropes and Jeff hits a flying clothesline on Bubba. As Bubba falls, Jeff grabs his legs, yells something to the crowd, and does his patented legs to the groin (or stomach?). Jeff tags in Piper and Bubba tags in Trish. Piper and Trish lock up, Trish gets Piper in a headlock but Piper pushes her away. Trish bounces off the ropes and gets a hip toss. Piper hits a snap suplex on Trish and hits an asai moonsault and goes for the cover. **1-2...** Trish gets a shoulder up. Trish chops Piper across the chest and tags in Bubba. Piper gets to her corner and tags in Jeff. Bubba and Jeff exchange right hands and Bubba hits Jeff with the Bubba-Bomb. Bubba covers Jeff, **1-2... **Jeff just gets the shoulder up. Piper gets a "Jeff" chant going from the crowd as the younger Hardy hits Bubba with right hand after right hand. Jeff DDT's Bubba and gets a tag in to Piper. Bubba gets to his corner and tags in Trish. Piper towers over Trish but she gives Piper a hard slap. Trish and Piper battle it out and Piper takes Trish to the corner and gives her an acid drop. Piper goes to the top rope and hits what she calls the "Below The Horizon" on Trish. A combination of first a shooting star press, then a frog splash. Piper hooks the outside leg. **1-2-3**! It's over.

" And your winners, Piper and Jeff Hardy!"

Enth E Nd plays and Piper and Jeff exit ringside.

********************************************************************************

Piper and Jeff returned backstage after their match. Jeff had a quite paranoid look on his face.

" What's with you Jeff?" Piper asked.

" I heard what your brother said earlier."

" Paul is just trying to scare you...us but listen, I have to go anyhow, so I'll talk to you later Jeff."

Piper smiled slightly and left Jeff standing by the curtain. She slowly made her way back to Stephanie's lockeroom, not in any type of hurry to encounter Paul again. Piper knocked on the door, hoping no cameras were around.

" Come in!" Stephanie called.

" Hey Steph."

" Oh hey Piper. Great match!"

" Thanks." Piper said, flopping down on the couch.

" What's wrong?" Stephanie asked, sitting next to Piper.

" Nothing. What makes you ask?" Piper said.

" You look troubled. Something just looks off in you." Stephanie said.

" No. Nothings wrong." Piper said, almost too quickly.

" Piper, you can talk to me," Stephanie put her hand on Piper's knee. " Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Piper sighed. " I don't want to talk about it right now," She stood up. " I wanna go back to the hotel, take a bath, go to sleep..."

" If you go now, you can probably catch Paul. He has to run back to the hotel."

" I'd rather eat mud," Piper snapped. " I'll wait for Amy or something."

" How about Trish, she mentioned something about leaving after her match to me earlier, why don't you ask her?"

" Oh yeah! I'm outta here Steph," Piper grabbed her bag. " Later."

Piper slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room. She wandered are for a while before actually beginning to look for Trish. She found her on her way out of the arena.

" Hey! Trish! Wait up!"

" Piper. Hey girl, what's up?"

" You heading back to the hotel?"

" Yeah."

" Cool. Can I catch a ride?"

" Sure, come on."

Trish and Piper left the arena and walked to the parking garage and to Trish's rental car. They both got in and drove off.

" Hey Trish. Can I tell you something?" Piper asked.

" Sure, what's up?"

" Earlier...Paul and I got into a fight. He caught me kissing Jeff in his lockeroom and he call me... a slut."

Trish gasped. " Are you serious?"

" Yeah."

" Why would Paul say something like that?"

" I don't know. Why would he say things like he did yesterday?"

" Piper, I'm so sorry hun. Paul seems really uptight lately." Trish said.

" He doesn't like Jeff that's all." Piper said.

" He never had a problem with Jeff before as far as I know." Trish commented.

" Paul is just a fucking prick." Piper snorted.

" He's just being overprotective," Trish said. " Big brotherly instinct. You're his baby sister, he's gonna be protective. Jeff is just a little different and when the big brother mechanism kicks in, he sees Jeff's individuality as something bad. He wants to protect you from the things he sees as bad and it comes out wrong. I'm sure he doesn't mean it , but you do have to remember that Paul is a hothead, easily looses his temper. Don't worry, things will come together huh."

" Thanks Trish. That was a big help."

" You're very welcome Piper."

Trish and Piper chatted for a bit as they drove back to the hotel. When they arrived the pair went their separate ways to their own rooms. Piper was going to be rooming with Stephanie so she took the time alone to take a nice hot bath to relax herself. When she got out of the bath, she dried off and slipped on her short bathrobe and laid down on one of the beds. She stretched out her long legs with a sigh. Piper turned her head towards the door and saw a piece of stationery paper being slid under the door. She quickly got up and snatched the paper from the floor. Piper flung the door open and stepped out.

" Hey Legs."

Piper whirled around, only one person ever called her legs, Shawn Michaels.

" Shawn." Piper folded her arms over her chest.

" That's a fine hello."

" Shut up," Piper waved the paper in Shawn's face. " Do you know where this came from?"

" Jeff Hardy gave it to me and asked me to pass it to you."

Piper smiled. " I knew you were good for something."

" Yeah, yeah. Don't let Paul see that Legs."

" You think I would? You're crazy. No chance he'll **ever** see this!" Piper said.

" Yeah. Okay. Talk to ya later Legs."

" Bye Shawn."

Piper walked back into her room and shut the door. She sat down on the end of the bed she chose to be hers and opened the note Jeff sent to her.

__

Dear Piper,

I know that Paul doesn't like me to be around you, but I just hate being away from you. I like you a lot and I'm hoping you feel the same for me. Things could be stressed, but I'm asking you this, will you be my girl? I'm so sorry I had to put this in writing, but Paul would have taken my head off if I tried it in person. Things are gonna be hard until we can get Paul to realize how we feel for each other...if you feel the same for me that is. Please respond to me in some kind of way. I'll be waiting for your reply. Thank you.

Love,

J. Hardy

Piper smiled and folded Jeff note again. She put it in her bag and laid down, musing over what Jeff had written for her, and what her response would be. Of course she had feelings for Jeff, but something just didn't feel right. Piper sighed and got comfortable in the bed and slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping for Jeff to visit her dreams. As Piper slept, she indeed dreamt of Jeff Hardy, in a way she never expected. Piper woke up the next morning, slightly dazed from her dream. She got up and splashed her face with water and looked in the mirror.

" What a dream," She smiled. " I wish that could **really** happen."

Piper walked out of the bathroom and Stephanie had just waken up. Piper sat down on her bed and smiled.

" What's with you this morning? You're so...chipper." Stephanie said.

" Oh nothing...I got a note from Jeff last night and had a very nice dream last night."

" Oh really? Can I see the letter? And judging from the crude noises I heard when I walked in last night, I don't think I want to know what the dream was about."

" Crude noises? Shit! I forgot I talk in my sleep..." Piper blushed deeply, pulling Jeff's letter from her bag.

" Yes you do. From hearing what you had to say, I'll go out on a limb and say it was a pleasurable dream." Stephanie said, reading Jeff's note.

" What did I say?" Piper asked.

" Oh no! I am **not** going to reenact what you did!" Stephanie said.

Piper blushed more. " It wasn't loud was it?"

" No, not, everyone-could-hear-it loud." Stephanie said.

Piper exhaled. " Good."

" Well let's not get into that," Stephanie said. " What do you plan on telling him?"

" I don't know. I really like Jeff...he's so loveable," Piper giggled. " I just don't know what to tell him because of Paul. Even if we were to be dating, we'd have to sneak around just to see each other. I don't want to have to go through and put Jeff through that."

" I know Piper," Stephanie sat next to her. " It's okay. You'll figure it out sometime."

" Not soon enough."

**later**

Piper was sitting on an equipment box talking with Jeff's brother Matt about the note he sent her the night before.

" I don't know what's going on inside his head honestly," Matt said. " But I do know that he really likes you."

" Yeah, I like him too, but I don't wanna go through a downward spiral with a relationship because of Paul. He really doesn't want me to see Jeff and I can't figure out why." Piper pulled her legs up to her chest.

" I don't know Piper. But is there anything you want me to tell him?" Matt said.

" Um...just tell him that I'm undecided right now. I'm not turning him down but I'm not saying yes and that I'll find some way to get back to him soon." Piper said.

" Okay. I'll let him know. I've gotta be going," Matt got down off the equipment box. " I'll talk to Jeff, and let him know what you said. See you later Piper."

" Later Matt."

Matt patted Piper on the back and walked away. Piper sat on the equipment box and pondered her situation with Jeff. She really did like him so much...but didn't know how to be able to let him know or express it towards him because of Paul. Piper sighed and slid off the equipment box. She wandered down the hall and walked towards Stephanie's lockeroom. Piper stepped into the room and found it empty. Piper sat on the couch and put her legs up to her chest again. She had a big decision to make, whether to battle her brother to be with Jeff, or, listen to Paul and be miserable without Jeff's form or love and affection. Piper sighed and pulled her long black hair out of her face and off her shoulders.

" What do I want? What am I supposed to do now?" She said aloud.

Piper knew what she really wanted, and it was Jeff. She fell for him almost instantly, yet, her own brother stood in the way of her happiness. She'd be happy with Jeff, but nothing without Paul behind her. As much as she hated to admit it, Piper loved the fact that Paul was around her so much. The two were so close growing up that Piper felt that pulling Paul away from her would be like taking out a huge chunk of herself. Piper loved her brother but just wished she could break free from his overprotective chains.

Piper looked up and saw a piece of paper being slid under the door, the same paper Jeff had written his first note to her on. She got up and picked it up off the floor, she opened it and read it to herself.

__

Dear Piper,

Matt told me what you had to say and I understand. Thank you for giving me a clear answer and responding. I know that you said that you'd talk to me some kind of way but I can't wait to see you. When we get to whichever hotel we are staying at today, meet me in the lobby one hour after we get there. I want so badly to see your beautiful face and kiss your soft lips. Please meet me Piper. I know that I sound like a very bad poet but I suppose that it comes naturally. I hope you will come and meet me Piper. Thank you again.

Love,

J. N. Hardy

**later**

Piper walked out of hair and make-up, she walked down the hall to change for the match she had against Trish Stratus. She put on her usual tight, flared sweat pants and she wore a tight midriff bearing tank top and her black wrestling boots. Piper slid off the couch and did a split on the floor. She laid down flat and touched her toes. She stretched to the left and then the right. Piper stood up and did lunges and stretched her arms before walking out of the room. She walked down the hall and popped into the work out room where she saw Amy running on the treadmill. Piper stepped onto the non-moving one next to Amy and leaned on the handrail.

" Yo." Piper smiled.

" Hey girlie!"

" How are ya?" Piper asked.

" I'm great. You?"

" Awesome."

" I hear you have a match tonight." Amy said.

" Yep, against Trish." Piper smiled.

" Nice. I'd wish you luck but I don't think you really need it. You're an awesome talent girl." Amy said.

" Aw. Thank you Amy," Piper smiled again. " I got another note from Jeff earlier." She whispered.

" Really? What'd it say? Amy asked, stopping the machine.

" It said he was glad I gave him an answer and that when we get to whatever hotel we end up at to meet him in the lobby an hour after we get there. He says he really wants to see me." Piper said quietly.

" Aw! He's hooked!" Amy exclaimed softly.

" I think I am too..."

Amy giggled. " Good! You two would be nice together...if Pauly weren't so...protective." Amy said.

" Yah I know."

" Hey lookie, I gotta go and change up for...whatever I'm needed for tonight, I'll see ya later babe."

" Later Amy."

Amy smiled and walked out of the room. Piper left shortly after she did and went back to Stephanie's lockeroom. It was still unoccupied so Piper stretched some more for her match. After a while she was told she was on in a few minutes. Piper left Stephanie's lockeroom and headed up to the tunnel. Trish was standing there already and was to go out first. The two girls hugged as Trish's music started to play and she walked out.

***********************************************************************************

" And her opponent, from Nashua, New Hampshire, Piper!"

Enth E Nd by Linkin Park hits and orange sparks shoot up from the stage. And Piper walks out.

Piper paused in the middle of the ramp and smiled for the fans. She walked to the ring and up the steel stairs. Piper ducked in between the top and middle ropes as she did she heard cheers and saw camera flashes. Piper smiled and stood face to face with Trish in the ring. The ref called for the bell and Trish and Piper slapped each other's hands before locking up in the center of the ring. Piper gets Trish in a side headlock but Trish fights out and pushes Piper into the ropes. Trish goes for a clothesline but Piper ducks and hits Trish with a flying clothesline. Piper pulls Trish up but Trish hits her with elbows to the stomach. Trish takes Piper's legs out from under her and drops an elbow on Piper. Trish pulled Piper up but Piper pushed her down. Piper picks up Trish's legs and catapults her into the top turnbuckle. Piper stomps on Trish before picking her up again. Trish slaps Piper to buy her a little time and hits her with forearms, whilst backing her into the corner. Trish Irish whips Piper but Piper reverses it and sends Trish into the corner instead. Piper gets a running start from the other side and hits a monkey flip on Trish from the corner. Piper pulls Trish into the right spot and hits the Below The Horizon on her. Piper goes for the pin and **1-2...**Trish somehow gets a shoulder up! Piper can't believe it and pulls Trish up off the mat, frustrated. Trish hits Piper in the stomach and gives her the StratusFaction! **1-2...**Piper kicks out! Trish bangs her fists on the mat and picks Piper up. Piper chops Trish across the chest a few times and slaps Trish across the face. Trish stumbles and bounces off the ropes and runs at Piper. Piper grabs Trish and gives her an overhead belly to belly suplex. Trish lands with a loud thud and Piper goes to the top rope. Piper hits Trish with the Below The Horizon again. **1-2-3**!

" And you winner, PIPER!"

The bell rings and Enth E Nd hits again and Piper leaves the ring.

*********************************************************************************

After her match Piper waited at the curtain for Trish. The two hugged and Piper made her way back to Stephanie's lockeroom. Piper knocked on the door and Stephanie called a come in and Piper pushed open the door.

" Piper! You did awesome out there! That was wonderful." Stephanie smiled.

" Thank you Steph."

" I'm really proud of you. You should be in line soon for a Women's Title match up soon."

" Really? You think?" Piper asked.

" Oh definitely you'd be a great women's champion."

" Thanks a lot Steph," Piper smiled. "Hey! I gotta show you something."

Piper ran to her bag and pulled out the note that she got from Jeff earlier in the day. Piper handed Stephanie the paper and Stephanie read it to herself.

" Oh! He wants you Piper," Stephanie laughed, nudging Piper with her elbow. " Go for it. You're rooming with me and if Paul asks for you I'll tell him you went to talk to ... Amy or Trish or something."

" Thank you so much Stephanie! You are great!" Piper exclaimed, hugging Stephanie tightly.

**later**

The WWE roster arrived in Stanford, Connecticut. They were staying at a hotel for the time but the ones that were at home planned on leaving early the next morning. Just like the note Piper received from Jeff requested, Piper waited an hour and rode the elevator down to the lobby. When she got there Piper saw Jeff leaning against a wall, patting his hands against his legs repeatedly. Piper walked up to him and gently touched his forearm, Jeff jumped slightly but smiled when he saw who it was. Piper smiled and kissed Jeff on the lips passionately. Jeff hugged her tightly and took in the sweet scent of her hair.

" You look lovely Piper." Jeff drawled.

" Thank you," Piper smiled. " You are so wonderful."

Jeff ran his hands over Piper's hair. " I ... I don't know what to say ... I wish you weren't restricted from me."

" I know, so do I."

" There's gotta be some way we can be together."

" Only when we go to North Carolina." Piper said.

" Yeah and it's no telling when we'll get back there." Jeff said.

" Exactly." Piper sighed.

" I know ... but it's up to you ... if you want to be together." Jeff looked hopefully at Piper.

" Of course I do. But there's no telling what will happen. I really do want to be with you Jeff ... but right now I can't. I'm not completely turning you down. I'm just saying no temporarily. Please believe me Jeff, I want you I really do, but you have to understand that I'm still open to being with you, it's only a temporary decision. I promise you."

Jeff smiled. " I understand Piper. But I'm glad you've made a decision, temporary or not. when you make another decision, I'll be waiting for you."

" Jeff. You are so amazing. You are seriously willing to wait until I make my other decision?"

" Yes. You're the one I want. And I am willing to wait for you ... as long as it takes."

Piper smiled. " You're wonderful Jeff Hardy!"

Jeff leaned in and kissed Piper. After a minute the two broke away and hugged once more.

" I gotta go... Matt already thinks I'm crazy for settin this up and he doesn't want us to get in trouble," Jeff smiled. " I'll talk to you later."

" Hey...walk me to my room?"

" Sure."

Jeff and Piper walked to the elevator and rode it up to the third floor. On their way up to their rooms they remained pretty much silent, just looking at each other, enjoying each others company. The elevator dinged indicating their arrival at the third floor. The doors slid open and Piper and Jeff walked out. Fortunately for them there was no one in sight in the hallway. Jeff walked Piper to her door, he smiled and kissed her on the cheek before saying goodnight and leaving to his own room. Piper pulled the keycard out of her back pocket and put it into the slot to unlock the door. She watched for the green light before turning the knob and pushing the door open. Piper groaned inwardly seeing Paul sitting on what she claimed to be her bed, talking to Stephanie, whom was sitting on the bed opposite of him.

" Move your ass Paul." Piper said.

" What's your problem?"

" I'm tired."

" Where were you?"

" Visiting Amy. What the hell is this 20 Questions?" Piper said, opening her bag.

Piper rummaged through her bag looking for her pajamas. While she was pulling things out, the new note Jeff sent her fell out by Paul's foot.

" What's that?" Paul asked.

" What's what?" Piper asked, looking at him.

" That!" He went to pick up the note but Piper slammed her hand onto it before Paul could grab it.

" Nothing. You're being nosy today Pauly." Piper snorted.

" What got stuck up your ass today Piper damn!" Paul called as she walked to the bathroom.

" Nothin you woulda liked." Piper mumbled to herself with a laugh.

" What's so funny?"

" Nothing. I just thought of something Amy said earlier."

" Right."

" Paul, maybe you should go now, Piper and I have to get to sleep and with you two fighting the way you do that'll never happen." Stephanie said.

" She's right ya know!" Piper called.

" Sure. Bye Steph. Goodnight Piper."

" Yeah yeah. Nighty night sweet dreams all that shit." Piper said stepping back into the room.

" Bye."

As soon as Paul left, Stephanie broke into a smile. " So! What happened?"

" Nothing really happened...we talked...we hugged...we kissed...that's it." Piper grinned, flopping onto her bed.

" Aw! He kissed you huh?"

" A coupla times." Piper smiled.

" Well, well missy, you are being quit promiscuous aren't you?"

" No! I like him. I mean damn Stephanie look at the boy! He's dead fucking sexy!" Piper exclaimed.

" PIPER!"

" What?" She laughed, wiggling under the covers.

" I didn't need to hear that." Stephanie said, lying down herself.

" Well, I can't help that God blessed that boy with drop dead gorgeous looks."

" Oh go to sleep!" Stephanie exclaimed, turning off the light.

Piper giggled. " Nighty night Stephie."

Piper turned off the light on her side of the lamp and rolled over towards the window and went to sleep. When she woke up the next morning Stephanie was rambling on about something to someone on her cell phone. Piper rolled over and looked at the clock. It read 5:30am. Piper groaned and put her head in the pillows and threw the covers over her head. Piper heard Stephanie end the conversation and sit the phone down on the stand.

" I know you're awake."

" Bite me." Piper said.

" Nope. Come on Piper, wake up. You're coming to breakfast with Paul and I." Stephanie said, pulling the covers from over her head.

" No I'm not!"

" Yes you are." Stephanie pulled the covers completely off of her.

" Damn you Stephanie McMahon." Piper said, rolling onto her back.

Stephanie laughed and balled up the blankets and threw them back at Piper.

" Come on, why don't you go take a shower, we're leaving at 7 o'clock." Stephanie said.

" Fine, fine. I'll get up. Next time why don't you use noise pollution instead of going the hard way."

" That's the hard way for you?"

" Yes."

Piper rolled out of the bed and took her entire suitcase into the bathroom with her. She turned on the water for the shower, got undressed and stepped in. After washing up she stepped out and brushed her teeth then dried off. Piper pulled her underwear out of her bag and put them on. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pair of tight black hipster pants with barely noticeable silver flames on the bottom of the pant legs. She pulled out a matching black halter-top and pulled it over her head. Piper put her hair into a ponytail and tied the top around her neck. Piper brushed her long wet hair and tried to put it in braids, but unfortunately failed. She put on a bit of black eye shadow and cherry flavored lip-gloss and walked out of the bathroom.

" Nice to see you again Piper." Stephanie joked.

" Yeah, yeah. Can you braid?" Piper asked, putting her shoes on.

" No."

" Damn! I'll be right back. I'm gonna go see if Amy will do it for me."

" Okay."

Piper grabbed her keycard and left the room. She walked down the hall and knocked on Amy's door. Amy opened it looking quite chipper.

" Morning."

" Yo. Can you do me a quick favor?"

" Sure."

" Braids?"

" How many?"

" Two."

" No problem."

" Thanks Amy."

" Any time. Come on in."

" I brought my brush." Pier said sitting down.

" Okay great. Won't take me long...I think." Amy smiled, looking at Piper's long hair.

" I talked to Jeff last night."

" Oh! Did you? What happened?"

" Not much. We talked, hugged, kissed, that kinda thing." Piper grinned.

" You're a bad little ho," Amy joked. "So are you two hooking up or what?"

" I don't know. We're leaving it open for right now." Piper responded.

" Well that's cool, Matt told me Jeff was some kind of ecstatic when he came back last night."

" Really? Well, I was happy too," Piper giggled. " Who you rooming with?"

" Trish. She's in the bathroom."

" Oh."

" I love this shirt. Can I borrow it sometime?" Amy said.

" Yeah sure."

" Awesome."

" Hey girls." Trish said stepping out of the bathroom.

" Hey Trish." Amy and Piper said in unison.

" Cute outfit Piper," Trish smiled. " Your thong's showing."

Piper wiggled to try and fix it.

" Hey! Hey! Quit your fidgeting!"

" Sorry. Paul would slaughter me if he saw that." Piper sighed.

" So do it." Amy smiled rebelliously.

" Ya think?" Piper asked.

" Sure, I mean if you get tired of Paul telling you what to do, be a little adventurous! Be a rebel!" Amy exclaimed.

Piper smiled. " Maybe I will."

" Amy Dumas! Teaching the girl you wicked ways already," Trish smiled. " She hasn't even been here a month! Give her some time before you corrupt her!"

The three girls stopped what they were doing and suddenly began to laugh.

" Oh Trish! That's a good one. You know any innocent little soul I can take is **mine**! MINE!" Amy laughed.

"You two are great," Piper laughed. " You almost done? I have to go with Stephanie and Paul for breakfast."

" Yep. Just give me a sec. I'm almost done."

" You look like a gothic farmer girl Piper." Trish giggled.

" That was the look I was going for." Piper joked.

" Nah, go see if Jeff will let you borrow his black overalls, **then** you'll look like a gothic farmer girl." Amy said.

" Black overalls?"

" It's Jeff, what the hell do you expect?" Amy laughed.

Piper laughed. " I'd like to see him in those..." She blushed.

" Oh geez." Trish rolled her eyes.

" Ask him, I'm sure he'll gladly model for ya." Amy said.

" You're serious aren't you?" Piper asked.

" Do I look like I'm joking? Jeff's always up for dumb stuff like that. He'll model anything for you I'm quite sure."

Piper had a evilly hopeful glint in her eyes. " Anything?"

" EW!" Trish exclaimed.

" Oh GOD!" Amy yelled.

" What?" Piper asked innocently.

" Okay I'm done. Leave. Get out!" Amy joked.

" Oh! I see how it is Amy Dumas. You're just trying to get rid of me..."

" I'm kidding chica. I'll talk to ya later."

" Later Amy. Bye Trish."

" Bye Piper."

Piper smiled and left the room. She walked back to her and Stephanie's room. Stephanie was putting on her shoes when Piper walked in.

" Hey Steph."

" Hey. Nice hair. You look like a dead framer's daughter." Stephanie smiled.

" I was going for gothic farmer girl...or at least that's what Trish said." Piper joked.

Stephanie laughed. " Okay if you prefer."

" So when are we leaving?"

" Whenever Paul gets here." Stephanie said.

Piper flopped down on her bed. " We could be here for weeks then."

" Oh stop!"

" What? I'm just sayin..."

Piper was interrupted by a knock on the door. Stephanie got up and opened the door. 

" Finally." She said.

" Sorry. I was having a talk with Shawn."

" Look who got bit by the lateness bug. Can we go now? My stomach is yelling for food." Piper said.

" Wha..."

" Shut up. Don't ask about the hair."


	4. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 4

A week had passed by quickly; Piper was still trying to think of a way to make a relationship between she and Jeff to work. Ideas weren't coming to her easy, every time she thought up a new idea, she always thought up a con where it could backfire and get her in trouble and Jeff beaten up. Other than in the ring Piper saw none of Jeff Hardy. She really truly wanted to be with Jeff but obviously she wasn't able to make that happen. Piper found herself thinking about Jeff more often than not and it was beginning to drive her out of her mind. She was absolutely crazy about Jeff but had no opportunity to show it. She couldn't yet say that she loved him but she had very strong feelings for him. The small bit that she did see of Jeff never did satisfy her, she wanted more of him and was determined to get what she wanted. Piper had had countless singles matches as well as tag matches with Jeff and was a top contender for the Women's title that belonged to Molly.

*******************************************************************************

Molly's music hits and she walks down the ramp to her usual chorus of boo's and name calling from the King. Molly stepped into the ring and demanded a microphone.

" You people can boo all you want! But I'm out here looking for some real competition! Now I am the WWE Women's champion, the only pure Women's champion the WWE will ever see! Now I've been fairly retaining this title week after week on RAW and SmackDown! and it's about time that I got to defend it against a worthy competitor! So I'm issuing an open challenge to any of the women in the back that think they can take my Women's title away from me!"

Molly awaits one of the WWE divas. After a minute or two, no one has responded and Molly begins to talk again.

" I guess that means there's no one back there willing to take me on. Just as I..."

The lights shut off and Molly stops talking. Blue sparks shoot up from the stage and Enth E Nd begins to play. The lights slowly come up again and the camera focuses on the middle of the ramp where Piper is standing. She has a microphone in her hand and a smile on her face. She laughs and begins to speak.

" Molly. You say that you've been **fairly** retaining the Women's championship? Honey I do not think so! I've been watching your little matches you have on RAW and SmackDown! and you don't play fair," Piper gives a mock pout before going on. " Feet all over the ropes, grabbing the tights...since when is that considered fair? You say you're looking for a worthy competitor? Well Molls, I'm right here and I'm answering your challenge!"

" H...Hold on just a minute! You think **you're** a worthy competitor for my Women's title? What I say is, you're only as good as the company you keep, and judging by whom you choose to spend your time with, I'd say you're just another face in the crowd."

Piper snorts. " Molly, this has **nothing **to do with Jeff. This has to do with me kicking your ass and winning that Women's title!"

Piper drops the mic and runs to the ring. She slides in and gets up before Molly can attack her while she's down. A referee comes running down the ramp and the match officially starts. Piper hits Molly with a series of forearms to the head. Molly blatantly gives Piper a thumb-to-the-eye and the ref reprimands her. Molly gets Piper in an arm wrench and Piper kick flips out of it and gives Molly a arm drag. Piper gives Molly a side Russian leg sweep and goes for the pin. **1-2...**Near fall! Molly gets up and snapmares Piper down. Molly kicks Piper in the back and Piper groans in pain. Molly grabs Piper by her hair and pulls her up. Piper gives Molly a sit out jawbreaker. Piper gives Molly a snap suplex and goes for another cover. **1-2... **Another near fall! Piper goes to the top rope and hits a big crossbody on Molly. She goes for another cover and gets another 2 count. Piper kicks Molly's legs out from under her and goes for an Asai moonsault but Molly gets her knees up. Piper groans and Molly picks Piper up and hits her with her knees to the stomach. Piper hit Molly with an elbow to the face and gave her a DDT. Piper goes up to the top rope and hits Molly with the Below The Horizon. **1-2-3!**

" Here is your winner and NEW WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPION! PIPER!"

The ref hands Piper the Women's Championship belt as Enth E Nd plays and she leaves ringside.

********************************************************************************

When Piper got back from the ring she ran straight to Stephanie's lockeroom. She burst through the door and was immediately met by a hug from Stephanie.

" OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

" Congratulations Piper!" Stephanie exclaimed.

" This is great! Oh my goodness!" Piper exclaimed excitedly.

" I'm so proud of you Piper! You're gonna make a wonderful women's champion!"

" Thank you so much Stephie," Piper smiled. " Where's Paul?"

" I dunno, he was just here."

Piper sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. " I can't believe this. This is so amazing!" 

" You deserve it."

A few minutes later, Paul walked in the door. He looked at Piper and broke into a grin. Paul opened his arms and Piper jumped up and ran at him. Piper jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. Paul pulled Piper back and kissed her on the forehead. 

" Piper I am so proud of you. Congratulations Pipi."

Piper gasped. " Paul! You haven't called me Pipi in years!"

" I know."

" Pipi?" Stephanie asked.

" Paul used to call me Pipi when I was a little girl cos I wore pigtails all the time and he said I looked like Pipi Longstocking."

" I guess that's why I haven't called you Pipi in so long because you're not a little girl anymore."

" Then maybe you could give up on the Jeff thing?" Piper asked hopefully.

" Don't push it."

Piper sighed. " Paul..."

" I don't want to get into that right now. Celebrate your victory Pipi."

Piper smiled. _' It'd be better celebrated with Jeff.'_ Piper thought to herself.

**later**

Piper slid deeper into the bath she had run for herself after SmackDown! was over. She had wanted to relax after the event so she took a bath. Again she was sharing a room with Stephanie who was in the bedroom portion of the hotel room working on some paperwork when she hear a knock on the door. Stephanie got up and opened the door but no one was there. Stephanie looked down both ends of the hall and saw no one. She looked down and saw a folded piece of paper on the ground with Piper's name on it. Stephanie picked it up and shut the door. She rapped on the bathroom door and Piper answered after a moment.

" What Steph?"

" There's a note out here for you."

" Read it to me!" Piper said with a giggle.

" Fine," Stephanie sighed. " It says: Dear Piper, congratulations on winning the Women's title tonight. You did a wonderful job. I'm proud of you. I wish I could have celebrated with you. But in any case I'm very proud of you. Congratulations again and I miss seeing your beautiful face. I hope we'll be together very soon. Love, Jeff N. Hardy."

Piper squealed. " How **great** is he?! My goodness! That's the third note he's sent to me!"

" He really must care a lot about you Piper. Jeff really seems very sweet."

" Oh Steph he is! I can't believe him, how sweet he is. But I don't know what to tell him. I really like Jeff a lot but I can't be with him." Piper said.

" I don't know what to tell you Piper. I really wish things were easier to sort out but Paul has something in him that wants to just ... put this protective wall around you to keep you safe but it comes out as him trying to control your every move but he doesn't mean it that way. He loves you and he's your big brother so something is gonna click with him that says 'oh my God this is my baby sister the one I've had to protect all her life and I still have to do that' but what it's not telling him is that you're not a little baby anymore and you have to make your own mistakes and make your own decisions so that you can be your own person. You're old enough to make the right mistakes so you can learn from them because if you go on being protected for all your life then you'll never get to grow completely, and Paul just isn't realizing that."

Piper stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She smiled at Stephanie and gave her a hug.

" Thank you Steph."

" You're welcome," Stephanie smiled. " I'll be back soon. Talk to you later."

" Later Steph."

As Stephanie left the room Piper grabbed her suitcase and pulled out things to wear. She slid on her favorite baby blue thong and matching bra, a pair of short shorts and a thin strapped tank top. Piper wasn't planning on going farther than the ice machine down the hall so she didn't mind what she was wearing. Piper sat on the edge of the bed to put lotion on her legs, she put some on her arms, and a bit on her face. She slid on a pair of socks and picked up her keycard and a couple of dollars, the container for ice, and left the room. Piper walked down the hall towards the ice and soda machines. When she got there she bumped into none other than Jeff Hardy.

" Hey Jeff." Piper smiled.

" Hey champ. Nice work out there tonight."

" Thanks Jeff." Piper smiled.

" How is it?"

" Doesn't feel any different, I'm still Piper."

Jeff grinned and looked Piper from top to bottom. " Nice legs."

Piper blushed. " They're a curse."

" To who?" Jeff grinned.

" Me of course. Do you know what it's like having legs like this?"

" Not in the least." Jeff replied.

" It sucks sometimes. But others they can be used for good."

" How long?" Jeff asked leaning against the Pepsi machine.

" Forty-three inches."

" Damn," Jeff let out a low whistle and looked at her legs again. " Quite believable."

Piper blushed again. " Wouldn't you like me to wrap 'em around you?"

" Those nice little shorts...Wait! WHAT did you say?"

Piper giggled and pushed Jeff out of the way. She put her dollar in the bill acceptor and punched the Diet Pepsi button. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked at Jeff.

" I said, wouldn't you like 'em wrapped around you."

" If I wouldn't get my ass severely kicked for it I'd say yes I would." Jeff replied.

Piper grinned and teasingly bent over to pick up her soda. She laughed and wiggled her ass at Jeff. He smiled and lightly spanked her with his left hand. Piper giggled and stood upright, she smiled at Jeff and put another dollar in the machine to get another soda. Piper gave Jeff the same playful show she did last time but this time Jeff grabbed her waist and pulled her back. Jeff pushed her hair to one side and kissed her on the neck. Jeff tickled Piper's sides lightly with his fingers, she squealed and jumped.

" Don't tickle me!" She exclaimed.

" Why not?" Jeff asked.

" Because I am very, _very_ ticklish."

" You shouldn't have told me that. Now I'm gonna torture you."

" No Jeff...please!"

Jeff grinned mischievously and quickly took to Piper's sides, relentlessly tickling them. Piper giggled and squealed until tears came to her eyes. Jeff finally stopped and watched as Piper calmed her giggling. While he was watching her, he immediately fell in love with her eyes. They sparkled and glittered a bright green when she was happy and turned a rich, deep green when she was angry. When Piper finally stopped laughing she gave an impish little grin and began filling the container she brought with ice.

" I gotta go cos Steph's gonna be mad at me if she comes back and I'm not there."

" Yeah I gotta get going too, I kinda told Matt I'd be back in less than 3 minutes."

Piper grabbed her two sodas, her container of ice, and blew Jeff a kiss before leaving.

**later**

Today was their day off and Amy and Piper decided to go on a little shopping expedition. Amy had somehow coaxed Trish into coming with them. Amy took the liberty of driving them to the nearest mall and they all hoped that there would be enough room to fit all the bags they planned on bringing back.

" The first meeting of shop-a-holics anonymous shall now commence. Any new business?" Trish joked.

Amy laughed. " Let's go, no time to waste!"

Amy, Piper, and Trish walked around the mall for a bit before Amy came across a Hot Topic. She pulled Piper into the store and Piper drug Trish along. Piper and Amy were content being in the store while Trish was a bit ... uncomfortable. Piper picked out a plaid skirt with big safety pins stuck in them.

" Amy! Come here!" Piper called.

" What?"

Piper held the skirt to her waist. " Cute?"

" Very! Hey Trish, check out this skirt Piper picked out."

" Nice. I think you should take over Stacy's theme though." Trish smiled.

" What's that?"

" Legs," Amy giggled. " She's got legs!"

" Oh," Piper laughed. " Shawn calls me that."

" He calls you legs?" Amy asked.

" Yep. Every time he sees me." Piper said.

" Is that gonna fit you Piper? It looks big for you." Trish said.

Piper looked at the tag. " It's a size seven. I wear a size five."

" You're a teeny tiny little thing! Only a size five!" Trish said.

" Yeah. I'm tall and skinny, go figure." Piper said sarcastically.

" You and Stacy should fight, ya know have one of those bitch-fight feuds consisting of Bra and Panties matches and mud pit fights and whatnot. All starting with the legs thing." Amy said.

" That actually wouldn't be bad," Piper said. " I should mention it to Stephanie It sounds like fun."

" I can see it now. The battle of the girls with the legs." Trish laughed.

" Yeah well I got Stacy anyhow," Piper laughed. " I got boobs too!"

Amy laughed. " Okay now she's gonna say she's got a butt! That's it! That's all ya got left!"

" Nope. I got no butt," Piper looked through the rack for the skirt in her size. " I just don't have one... not much of one anyhow. Jeff smacked it yesterday." Piper giggled.

" He did!" Trish and Amy exclaimed.

" Yep. I had one these booty shorts cos I was about to go to bed and I went to get some ice and a soda and Jeff was there and I was messing with him." Piper explained.

Amy and Trish laughed and Piper finally found the skirt in her size. She went to try it on and came out and modeled the skirt for her friends.

" What do y'all think?" Piper asked.

" It's cute. I saw this really kick ass shirt that would look awesome with that." Amy said jumping up to go find it.

" Ya think I could wear this to the ring on one of my feud matches with Stacy?" Piper asked Trish.

" Probably. That is so cute!"

Piper smiled. " I think so too."

" Here it is!" Amy called, running back towards Piper and Trish.

Amy came running back with a black midriff shirt with elbow length plaid sleeves that had the word "PUNK" written on it in red letters. Amy handed it to Piper and she walked back to the dressing room to try it on. Piper walked out again and spun around. Amy gave an excited nod and Trish gave a thumbs up.

" Totally cute! You HAVE to buy that!" Amy exclaimed.

Piper nodded happily and went back into the changing room. She came back out in her regular clothes and the outfit she planned to buy resting on her shoulder.

" I want a necklace. I could use a new one." Piper said randomly.

" I saw a really cool cross over there," Amy pointed. " I'll show ya."

Amy, Trish, and Piper walked to the other side of the store and looked through the jewelry. Piper picked out a studded chocker and a matching cuff bracelet and Amy picked up the cross she liked so much. 

" Oh hey girls! Manic Panic!" Trish giggled, holding up a bottle of blue dye.

" Sweet," Piper exclaimed. " Is there orange over there?"

" Uh...no there isn't." Trish said after looking.

" Damn! How about..."

" Do hot pink Piper. That'd look kick ass!" Amy said.

" Alright. Gimme a bottle. I might as well do it now." Piper said.

Trish tossed Piper a bottle of hot pink Manic Panic to add to her purchase. Piper walked up to one of the registers and laid her items down. The guy at the register with the nose ring rang up her purchases.

" And your total comes to ... $69.93."

Piper sighed and pulled out her credit card.

" Holy shit girl!" Amy exclaimed.

" Yeah tell me about it." Piper sighed.

" Oh hey. You chicks are from the WWE right? You're all hot!" The guy said.

" Thanks." Piper, Amy, and Trish all said.

" Ah man, can I have y'alls autographs?"

" Sure." They said.

**later**

" Hey Stephanie. Amy gave me a kick ass idea earlier when we were shopping." Piper said.

" Really? What's that?"

" That sometime down the line, I should start up a little feud with Stacy Keibler. Over the legs thing and whatnot." Piper said.

" That's actually a pretty good idea. We've been looking for places to put Stacy. This'll be a perfect way to get Stacy involved in more T.V. time." Stephanie said.

" Cool. So when are we gonna do this?"

" Give it a little time. Maybe after a few pay-per-views."

" Alright," Piper nodded. " Where's Pauly at?"

" With Shawn."

" Go figure. Those two are attached at the hip." Piper laughed.

" Well anyhow. Think about this. You've got a match on RAW against Trish. For the title." Stephanie said.

" Awesome! I get to wrestle Trish!" Piper said.

" You'll retain the title. And have another defense on SmackDown! against Nidia."

" Cool, cool. Any more?"

" Not that I know of yet. But you'll win against Nidia as well."

" Okay. So when do Jeff and I get to be come lovey dovey's?" Piper giggled.

" Later." Stephanie said bluntly.

" When's later? I want him now!" Piper pouted.

" Piper. Not yet. You two will become boyfriend and girlfriend on T.V. soon okay."

" Fine, fine."

" Just be happy you're getting to be with him anyway. I mean I to negotiate this a lot. It wasn't easy to get it so you two could be together."

" I know Steph and I thank you for it. I'm glad we're gonna get to be together." Piper smiled.

" Reading your mind...now if only it was in real life?" Stephanie inquired.

" On the nose."

" Well on another note, you're going to be in your very first photo shoot tomorrow!"

" Tomorrow?"

" Yes. We're sending all the divas to get updated pictures, its' another day off and you're going to the Connecticut studio to take pictures for the WWE Divas website." Stephanie said.

" Awesome! I've always wanted to do one of those!" Piper exclaimed.

" Great. Just wait until you do the beach bikini shoots," Stephanie said. " Pictures you can share with Jeff."

Piper giggled. " Yes!"

**the next day**

The WWE divas stepped off a plane in Stanford Connecticut and were ushered by a large van to the studio.

" So Piper, are you excited for your first shoot?" Torrie Wilson asked her.

" Oh yeah! I can't wait!" She responded with a smile.

As the time passed all the Divas were running around, getting wardrobe situated and having their hair and make-up done. Piper was one of the first to start taking pictures. She wore a tight shiny blue top and a pair of tight fitting, low-rider leather pants. She wore black boots with thick platform soles. Piper was ushered to the hair and make-up station where they put a mix of baby blue and lavender eye shadow on her and lined her eyes in black. Deep red lipstick was applied to her already cherry colored, heart shaped lips.

" Piper, what color is your hair naturally?" One of the girls fiddling with her hair asked.

" Blonde." She responded.

" Have you ever considered stripping this black out?"

" Not at all." Piper said quickly.

" Just a question."

" I tried my hardest to not look like the rest of my family." Piper laughed.

" Really?"

" No." Piper giggled.

The girl laughed. " Any special way you'd like your hair done?"

" No. Not really," Piper shrugged. " Just as long as it looks pretty." She laughed.

The girl laughed and started to brush Piper's long hair. She had never smelled so much hair spray in her life! Piper coughed, unintentionally getting another lung-full of hairspray fumes.

" Try and hold your breath when I spray this stuff honey. You don't wanna be inhaling this stuff." The girl working on her hair said.

Piper coughed again. " I'm trying!"

" Well in any case. You're all done."

" Thanks." Piper mumbled.

Piper hopped off the stool and wandered around the studio. One of the photographers caught her by the shoulder and spun her around.

" Piper, yes?"  
" Yeah. That's me." She said.

" Oh good! You're up for the shoot."

" Right." Piper smiled and followed the photographer to another part of the studio.

The photographer showed her to where she was to be photographed first. It was a chain linked fence set up that Piper liked quite a bit. She nodded and stood against it. She leaned against it and intertwined her fingers in the fence.

" Great pose," The photographer exclaimed. " Very sexy!"

Piper laughed and per direction of photographer, flung her hair to one side. A couple of poses later, a few of the other divas, including Stacy Keibler, Amy, and Trish, had gathered around and were watching Piper pose. They had her change out of the pants and gave her a pair of short shorts. She wore a black halter top and high boots.

Piper shifted, a bit uncomfortable. " Can I take these boots off?"

The photographer hesitated. " Sure. Go ahead."

Piper smiled and quickly pulled the boots off her feet. She finally felt like she wasn't seven foot tall! The photographer had Piper sit on the ground and extend her long legs above her head, resting on the fence set up, her arms stretched out beside her. Piper let her legs dropped and rolled backwards to her knees. She turned only her head and looked at the camera. The flash went off bright in her eyes. Piper squealed and shut them after the photo was taken.

" Seeing stars?" Amy joked, walking up behind her.

" More like dots," Piper groaned tugging the shorts down. " My ass is all hanging out of these shorts!"

Trish laughed. " It happens."

" Hey Stacy," Amy said. " I think you've got a challenger for longest legs in the company."

" Really," Stacy raised an eyebrow. " How long are your legs?"

" Forty-three inches." Piper said proudly.

" She beat me! I'm forty-one and a half." Stacy pouted jokingly.

" I've heard," Piper shrugged. " I talked Steph into letting us have a little bitchfight feud over our legs. She thinks is a good idea."

" That'd be fun! That's one thing I never thought anyone would beat me at." Stacy laughed.

" Well, there's always competition."

**2 days later**

******************************************************************************

" The following contest is a WWE Women's Championship match, scheduled for one fall! First, making her way to the ring, from Nashua, New Hampshire, PIPER!"

The lights in the arena go out and red sparks shoot up from the stage. Enth E Nd starts to play and Piper appears on the ramp way. She smiles and walks down the ramp. Piper steps into the ring though the top and middle ropes and smiles for the fans. She hands the belt to the referee and awaits her opponent.

" And the challenger, MOLLY HOLLY!"

Molly walks down the ramp to her usual chorus of boo's. She gets into the ring and immediately goes after Piper. Molly takes Piper down with a clothesline but Piper quickly gets up. Molly hits her with another one and Piper pops up again. Molly goes for another clothesline but Piper counters and hits her with a neckbreaker. Piper picks up Molly and hits her with a sit out jawbreaker. Molly holds her jaw and Piper goes to the top rope. Molly gets up and Piper hits her with a dropkick. Piper goes for a cover but Christopher Nowinski runs down the ramp. He grabs Piper's leg and pulls her out of the ring. Molly distracts the ref and Nowinski clotheslines Piper down on the mats outside hard. The crowd erupts as Jeff Hardy comes running down the ramp. Nowinski had tossed Piper back into the ring and Jeff hit Nowinski from behind. The ref takes his eyes away from the match and missed the pin Molly had on Piper, to try and break up the fight between Nowinski and Hardy on the outside. Molly gets up and starts to yell at the referee. Piper grabs Molly and rolls her up for the 1-2-3!

" Here is your winner, and still WWE Women's Champion, PIPER!"

Enth E Nd starts up again and Nowinski looks absolutely mortified on the outside as Piper rolls out of the ring and she and Jeff walk right past him.

*******************************************************************************

" Jeff. Hotel lobby tonight. I've got an answer for you."

Piper winked at Jeff, blew him a kiss and walked away. Piper headed back to Stephanie's lockeroom to change. She jumped into a pair of loose sweatpants and a WWE "Get the "F" Out" T-shirt. Stephanie gave her the keys to her rental car and told her she'd get a ride with Paul back to the hotel. Piper got into Stephanie's rental car, a small Honda and drove off to the hotel. She checked in and sat around for a while until she got bored and walked down to the lobby. She arrived and found Jeff standing there, he turned, and smiled at Piper, beckoning her closer with a curled finger. Piper giggled naughtily and shook her head. She pointed at Jeff and did the same as he did. Jeff grinned and walked a little closer. He stopped and smiled and asked her closer. Figuring that this game they were playing could go on forever Piper walked up to him and put her arms around him. Jeff kissed her softly and smiled.

" What did you want to tell me?" He asked.

" I have an answer for you." Piper smiled.

" Oh? Do you? What is it?" Jeff asked eagerly.

" Calm down tiger," Piper giggled, playfully giving Jeff's butt a little pinch. " I wanna be your girl."

Jeff licked his lips. " Good. Cos I want you to be my girl."

" Will you be my guy?" Piper asked.

" Oh definitely."

Piper kissed Jeff again. " Wonderful." She smiled.

" So...how are we gonna be together?"

" I don't know, but we're gonna find a way. I really want this to work."

" We will Piper, we will," Jeff smiled and nibbled on her bottom lip. " Once we figure that out, I know a way I'd love to get together with you Piper." Jeff grinned naughtily.

" You little devil you," Piper giggled, sliding her hands into Jeff's back pockets. " You'll have to wait for that. These legs don't open for just anyone."

Jeff's eyes went wide. " Quite blunt. But I understand. Gotta have respect for yourself."

Piper smiled. " Oh definitely," Piper said. " But I gotta get going, I'll talk to you later Jeff."

" Later honey."  
Jeff kissed Piper's lips again and kept his arm around her waist. She pulled away but Jeff held on. He smiled at her and kissed her again. Jeff slowly let her go and watched her walk away. Piper swung her hips for Jeff as she walked and disappeared onto the elevator.

~~~~~

Hey guys. Sorry this chapter was kinda lame. Or at least it was to me. I had a bit of a brain block but I got through it! I promise the next chapter will be better!


	5. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 5

" Hey Piper!" A voice called from behind her.

Piper had just left her room, going to get a soda from the machine near the pool and was walking back. She spun around and saw Chris Irvine (Jericho) standing behind her, a mischievous smile on his face.

" Hey Chris. What's up?" Piper said with a smile, innocently walking back to him.

" Oh nothing much. I've got something to show you is all," He reached into his back pocket and produced 3 Polaroid pictures. " Look familiar?"

Piper grabbed the pictures from Chris' hand. They were of she and Jeff together 2 days ago at the hotel. One of her standing beside him. One of them kissing, and another of them hugging each other.

" You bastard! Where did you get these?" Piper demanded, her green eyes quickly darkening with rage.

" Whoa! Temper, temper missy. I've got my sources."

" Paul put you up to this didn't he? Tell me Irvine!" Piper said angrily.

" I said I've got my sources. Maybe it was for Paul, maybe not. But if it's any consolation, I promise not to show Pauly the pictures if you go out with me once." Chris said smirking.

" WHAT? Chris I refuse! You're married!" Piper screamed.

" Well, she doesn't have to find out does she? And Paul doesn't have to see these." Chris waved his blackmail in Piper's face.

" You ass! I won't do it!" Piper folded her arms across her chest decidedly.

" Well then I guess I'll be making my trip to Paul's room now." He started to walk away.

Piper grabbed his arm. " Fine," She said exasperatedly. " Just don't show Paul...what do you want from me?"

Chris smiled smugly. " I knew you'd see it my way," He patted her on top of the head like a child. " Just give me what I want, and you get off Scott free."

" What do you want?" Piper asked, sighing heavily.

" Oh just a date...and maybe a lil sumthing, sumthing extra afterwards." Chris wagged his eyebrows at a disgusted Piper.

" Chris, I will go on a date with you, but I **refuse** to sleep with you."  
" What? I'm not good enough for you to part you legs for? Jeff seems to do something for you..."

Piper grabbed Chris by the throat and slammed him into a wall. " Listen Irvine! I have **not** slept with Jeff is that clear," Piper said through gritted teeth. " I will not sleep with anybody! I made my choice to stay the way I am until marriage, is that too hard for you to get?"

" OH ho! A virgin? Well, well, and one with a temper! Now I see how you and Paul are related," Chris grinned. " But I understand, you'll keep your virgin status, I promise. Scouts honor."

" You're no Boy Scout Chris so drop the act. You keep your mouth shut about this too understand! I don't need anyone finding out! Everything is bad enough already, I don't need to be titled the whore of the WWE, got that?"

Chris raised his hands in mock defense. " Okay, okay. No one finds out. It's our little secret."

" Fine."

Piper pushed Chris out of the way and stalked off towards the elevator. She rode it up to the 3rd floor, immediately in tears. She let Chris blackmail her into betraying her boyfriend is the way she saw it. Nothing was innocent about that. She could have just let Chris show Paul the pictures and lived with the consequences, but no, she had to agree to Chris' stipulations. A date, a date with him. Piper felt absolutely disgusted with herself, that she'd be so weak as to give in. But she had to, if she wanted to keep her relationship with Jeff a secret. Wiping her face, Piper awaited the arrival of her stop to the third floor. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. She walked back to her room, pulling the key card out of her back pocket. She swiped it and pushed the door open to see that still, nobody but Stephanie was in the room. Stephanie turned around, instantly noticing Piper's eyes were so red and jumped up.

" What's wrong?" She asked.

Piper broke down again. " It's not fair Stephanie!"

" What's not fair," Stephanie asked, pulling Piper's hair away from her face. " Come on, tell me what's wrong."

Stephanie led Piper to the bed and sat her down. Piper sobbed heartily and Stephanie hugged her tightly.

" C...Chris...pictures...Jeff..."

" Honey speak in comprehensible sentences, or phrases, whichever is easier right now..." Stephanie said, handing her a tissue.

Piper wiped her face and gently blew her nose. " Chris has pictures of Jeff and me from two days ago at the hotel...he has three of them. He threatened to show them to Paul if I didn't "give him what he wants" he wants a date with me and I told him I would do it if he didn't show Paul the pictures!"

" Piper...honey I'm so sorry. How did he get those pictures?" Stephanie asked.

" I don't know," Piper sobbed as Stephanie handed her another tissue. " He wouldn't tell me, all he said was he has his sources and that's it."  
" Are you going to tell Jeff?" Stephanie asked.

" I CAN'T!"

" Why not?"  
" Because he'll hate me." Piper sobbed, lying her head on Stephanie's shoulder again.

" Jeff won't hate you Piper. He loves you and that's not going to change because you did something to save your relationship."

Piper wiped her face again. " It's still not right! Stephanie he wanted to sleep with me! I told him no, for one, he's married, and two, I'm a virgin and I plan to stay that way until I do get married...and it's my choice whether I'm going change my mind or not, but it certainly would not be with Chris! As of right now, if I did make the decision to change my mind it would be with Jeff and that's because I love him...and he loves me too."

" Piper that's exactly why Jeff wouldn't hate you for trying to save your relationship."

" But Jeff's so special to me...he's always been so wonderful and sweet...Stephanie I just can't shake the feeling that I'm betraying him because I agreed to Chris' stupid stipulations." Piper said, tears running down her face.

Stephanie wiped Piper's face with a tissue. " Honey, it's alright. Just go talk to Jeff, I'm sure he'll understand."

Piper sniffled hard and shut her eyes tightly. He wiped her face and stood up. Piper walked silently to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her flushed cheeks. She dried her face with a towel and walked back into the room. Piper sniffled back the rest of the tears that threatened to fall.

" Just go talk to him Piper," Stephanie took her hand. " He'll understand. He loves you."

Piper wiped her face again and nodded, finally agreeing to what Stephanie was saying. She picked up her keycard and left the room, constantly wiping her face. Piper knocks on Amy's door, knowing that she would be able to tell her where to find Jeff. Surprisingly, he was the one to answer the door. The tears started flowing as soon as she laid eyes on him. His emerald eyes lit up quickly when he saw the first tear roll down her cheek. Jeff immediately engulfed her in a tight embrace and pulled her into the room. Jeff sat her down on one of the beds and held her tightly. He didn't ask questions to begin with, just held her and let her cry. Jeff wanted to calm her before he tried to get anything out of her. He knew how hard it was to understand her when she was this upset. Her tears just kept flowing, like small waterfalls as her tiny frame shook violently against Jeff's with her barrage of tears. Piper cried so hard she began to cough. Jeff rubbed her back and sang softly to her, in an attempt to calm her down. Her tears finally slowed until they subsided.

" What's wrong baby?" Jeff asked softly.

Piper took a deep breath and wiped her face before beginning to speak.

" Earlier when I was walking back from downstairs, Chris stopped me and showed me these pictures. They're of you and me Jeff. He has three and he threatened to show them to Paul if I didn't "give him what he wants" and he wants a date with me," Piper said wiping away more tears. " I told him yes because I couldn't let him show Paul those pictures! I'm so sorry Jeff. I don't want anything to hurt us Jeff. Baby I'm sorry..."  
Jeff hushed Piper, gently kissing her lips. Piper looked at Jeff and he hugged her tightly.

" Piper honey its' alright. I know you're just trying to keep our relationship a whole. I understand baby," Jeff said running his fingers through her long black hair. " I know you're doing this for us and it's okay. If he does anything, anything at all to you, you call me right away understand? I'll come get you Piper, you know that I love you no matter what darlin. I love you honey."

Piper dried her eyes once more and hugged Jeff tightly. She was overjoyed that he understood and he wasn't angry with her. Piper knew Jeff loved her wand she loved Jeff and this simply proved that his loved for her was completely unconditional.

*later*

*******************************SMACKDOWN!********************************

Piper is backstage stretching for her match against Nidia. The WWE Women's championship is set to be defended. Funaki appears and begins talking about how he is going to interview Piper.

" This Funaki, number one announcer on SmackDown! here interview WWE Women's Champion Piper."

Funaki walks up to Piper and she turns around gives a short smile at Funaki.

" What can I do for you today Funaki?"

" Funaki want know what you say about match against Nidia?"

" My match against Nidia? Well, for one, I've got no problem defending this my Women's championship. I'm quite confident that it'll be around my waist after the whole thing is over. And if Jamie Noble decides to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, I've got my own form of backup to take care of him."

Piper smiles and grabs her belt, walking away before Funaki can ask another question. The backstage scene cuts to the ring where Jamie Noble's theme starts playing and he and Nidia walk out.

" Making her way to the ring, the challenger, being accompanied by Jamie Noble, NIDIA!"

Nidia gets into the ring, sticking her chewed gum on one of the ring posts and stands with Jamie awaiting Piper's entrance.

The lights go off and purple sparks shoot up from the stage as "Enth E Nd" begins to play. Piper steps onto the stage, the WWE women's title belt strapped around her small waist, Jeff Hardy by her side.

" And her opponent, accompanied by Jeff Hardy, she is the WWE Women's Champion, PIPER!"

Piper and Jeff make their way down the ramp. Jeff nodding his head to Piper's theme and her walking confidently with a smile. Jeff slides into the ring while Piper walks up the steel steps and climbs into the ring between the ropes. Cameras flash as she steps through and smiles. She waves at a few of the fans and takes off the belt. Piper hands the Women's title belt to the ref as he calls for the bell. Piper and Nidia lock up and Piper quickly overpowers her, pushing her down to the mat. Nidia gets up, slightly dazed, and goes at Piper again. Piper clotheslines Nidia and picks her up by the hair. Piper knees Nidia in the stomach and Irish whips her across the ring. Nidia goes for a clothesline but Piper ducks and gives her a drop toehold. Nidia's face slams into the mat and Piper flips her over for a cover. **1-2...**Nidia gets her left shoulder up. Piper picks up Nidia and gives her a sit-out jawbreaker. Piper does a standing moonsault on Nidia and goes for another cover. **1...**Jamie Noble pulls her out of the ring! Noble goes to clothesline Piper but she ducks and Noble bumps into Jeff. The two start fighting as Piper crawls back into the ring. Nidia gives her a slap as she gets back into the ring and then a thumb-to-the-eye. The ref doesn't see it, for his is dealing with Jeff and Jamie on the outside. Nidia hits a DDT on Piper and goes for a cover but the ref is still dealing with Jeff and Jamie. Nidia gets up to complain to the ref and Piper spins her around by the arm and gives her a stalling brain buster. Piper goes to the top rope and hits the Below The Horizon on Nidia. The ref finally brings his attention back to the ring as Piper goes for the cover. **1-2-3**!

" Here is your winner, and still WWE Women's Champion. PIPER!"

Piper gets her belt and slides out of the ring as she and Jeff make their way back up the ramp and to the backstage area.

**********************************************************************************

Piper stood next to Jeff, sagging her belt across her wrist sadly.

" I don't know what he's got planned for me Jeff...I don't know when this whole fiasco is going to happen..."

" Babe, don't think about it okay. Just...try and get through it, whenever it's going to be alright. Just be strong baby."

" I know Jeff...well, I've got to go now, I'll talk to you later."  
Piper kissed Jeff on the cheek and walked away. Jeff let out a loud sigh and hauled himself up onto one of the equipment boxes, putting his head in his hands.

" Well, well, hey there Sir Xtreme."

Jeff looked up to see Chris Jericho staring at him, a smug smile slapped on his face.

" What do you want?" Jeff snapped.

" WHOA! You and your girlfriend are just alike, fiery tempers you two got," Chris sneered. " I'm sure I'll have a great time with her."

" Don't you lay a hand on her Irvine..."  
" Or what Hardy? You're gonna hurt me? Oh! I'm shaking in my boots! Come on, drop the "Xtreme" act and snap into reality junior because the reality is Jeffro, I've got something on you that you can't cover up or take back. So just face the facts that your girl is gonna get to see a real man in action tonight instead of hanging with a freak like you," Chris laughed. " Have a nice night junior."

Jeff narrowed his eyes as Chris walked away, laughing haughtily.

" Steph, I hate him!" Piper cried loudly.

" I know Piper. I'm sorry that he's getting away with this."

" It's not fair! Chris just wants to get what he wants and I've got a very bad feeling about all this...I don't trust Chris Irvine for as far as I can throw that pompous ass! I hate him!"

" I don't trust Chris very much either Piper. But trust me, if he messes with you, he'll be going through hell, I guarantee it."

" Jeff told me that if Chris tries anything with me to call him and he'll come get me."

" Do you know how you can reach him?" Stephanie asked.

Piper hit her forehead with her palm. " The one thing I don't know about Jeff and it's important."

" You hang tight and I'll go see if I can find Jeff or Amy or Matt and find out his cell number okay?"

" Great. Thanks Steph."

*later*

Piper stood in the bathroom staring in the mirror at what she was wearing. She had her long black hair piled up on top of her head hanging curly off the top of the bun on to p of her head. She had on dark make-up and almost blood red lipstick. She wore a long black Gothic style dress that went to the floor, and thick-soled black boots. She sore black earring with hanging read letters that said ANARCHY on them. She also wore a sliver cross pendant and 6 silver bangles on each arm. Piper had planned to contrast Chris' horridly loud style as much as possible by looking as dark and unhappy as possible. Piper stepped out of the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom portion of she and Stephanie's hotel room. Stephanie looked up from her book when Piper came out.

" Well. You look like you're taking my place in that black wedding from a few years back." Stephanie commented.

" Sure." Piper sat down.

" Come on Piper. You've got Jeff's number right?" Stephanie asked.

" Yes," Piper said. " I've got it memorized."

" And it is?"

" 555-6762." Piper said quickly.

" You got it girl. Got your cell?"

" Yes, it's in my purse."

" You've got everything?" Stephanie asked.

" Yes Steph."

Stephanie handed Piper her purse and give her a hug.

" Be careful." Stephanie whispered as there came a knock on the door.

" You answer it." Piper said distressed.

Stephanie nodded and opened the door as Piper disappeared back into the bathroom. Stephanie saw Chris standing there, a grin on his face, wearing a black shirt with glittery red things all over it and khaki pants.

" Heya Steph. Where's my lovely date for tonight?"

" Calm down. She's almost ready."

" My goodness, people are so full of attitude today!"

" Listen Chris, you better treat her with respect tonight. Understand?"

Chris mockingly saluted Stephanie. " Yes drill sergeant Ma'am!"

" I'm serious Chris you treat her with respect, she's someone else's girl, not your play toy." Stephanie said.

" Respect. Check. Play toy check. Got it now where is she?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom door, opening it a crack.

" Come on honey. Get this over with."

Piper stepped out of the bathroom and stood unflinchingly beside Stephanie. She glared at Chris who smiled at her.

" Well, you're looking deathly tonight my dear," Chris rolled his eyes. " Shall we?"

Piper groaned inwardly and reluctantly left the room. As she and Chris made their way out of the room she caught a glance at Jeff who was talking to Shane Helms. He saw her and gave her a sad yet trying smile. She blew him a kiss before Chris pulled her into the elevator. Piper stood silently in the elevator, her arms folded across her chest, tuning out Chris' mindless ramblings.

" I promise darlin' you are going to have an amazing time tonight," Piper nodded weakly. " What's wrong Pipi..."

Piper's eyes went wide as she fought the urge to slap the taste out of Chris' mouth. She clenched her fists at her sides and glared at him.

" Do **not** call me that! You haven't the right especially because that is Paul's name for me and his only! You nor ANYBODY else has the right to call me that. And I swear if you call me that again you will not like what I do to you, it **WILL** be painful!" Piper said angrily.

" Okay Princess that's fine," Chris said as they got off the elevator. " Now come on sweetheart, this is gonna be fun!"

Piper felt as though she were going to cry. Chris was trying to be "nice" to her but she knew what he wanted from her and he wasn't going to get it from her. Piper was in love with Jeff and as far as she was concerned, Jeff was the only person she cared deeply about on that level.

Chris opened the passenger side for Piper and she hesitantly stepped in. It was late and she didn't know where they would end up, she just wanted it to be over. She just wanted it to end so she could stop listening to him, so she could go back to Jeff and be with him and fell completely loved.

As they drove, to a point Piper would have considered them being lost, Chris, no so subtly put his hand on her kneed and tried to move it up her tight. She slapped his hand hard and he yanked it away.

" Don't touch me." Piper said evenly, staring out the window.

Chris grunted at her and continued driving. Piper stared blankly out the window as they stopped at a small building that looked like a log cabin. It was a quiet looking little place, a place she'd want to go with Jeff. Chris got out and opened her door for her. Piper stepped out of the car and crossed her arms.

" Come on Piper, loosen up. Have fun." Chris said.

" Chris, you said I had to be here, you never said I had to have fun."

" Well could you at least look like it?" Chris asked.

" No." Piper said bluntly.

Chris sighed and grabbed Piper's hand, pulling her into the restaurant. They were seated and a waitress walked up and asked the what they wanted to drink. Piper ordered a water while Chris got a Pepsi. Chris babbled on while Piper stayed quiet.

" Chris do you ever shut up?" Piper asked right in the middle of one of his Fozzy stories.

" Come on **Daria**," Piper raised an eyebrow. " Don't tell me you don't watch cartoons."

" No, I do. I'm just surprised you compared me to Daria." Piper said.

" Well, you're cynical and quite dull tonight so I figured it fit you to a tee." Chris said.

Pier rolled her eyes and sipped her water. She felt something on her knee, knowing it was Chris' hand she quickly lifted her knee and slammed his hand between the table and her knee. Chris groaned and fanned his hand about. Piper smirked and sipped her water. Chris narrowed his eyes at Piper's apparent amusement at his pain.

" You're an evil bitch Piper." Chris said.

She smirked. " Tell me something I don't know." She laughed.

Piper gave a cocky smirk as the waitress came back and they ordered. Piper once again ignored Chris' Fozzy, and first Undisputed champion stories, filling her mind with thoughts of her beautiful, sweet boyfriend. Once their food came Chris dug in immediately while Piper sat there for a moment, nose wrinkled in disgust, staring at the chicken Caesar salad she ordered. Piper picked up her fork and poked at a piece of the lettuce with it. Chris looked up at her, raised an eyebrow, swallowed and spoke.

" Ain't you gonna eat?" He asked.  
Piper felt her stomach churn. " I'm not hungry."

" Aw come on, you've got to eat something." Chris said.

Piper shook her head. " No, I said I'm not hungry."

Chris simply shrugged her off and continued to eat. Piper felt the hunger pangs start to stab at her stomach. She finally give in and took a bite of her salad. As the time passed, she managed to eat half her salad and enjoy the partial silence due to Chris' lack of speech. Her happiness only lasted a short while, for she felt Chris' hand once again resting on her knee, Chris, making another attempt to slide it up her thigh. Piper glared at Chris and he apparently got the message. He quickly moved his hand and Piper got up.

" Excuse me, I'm going to the washroom."

" Don't be long darlin, there's more fun left."

Piper rolled her eyes as she walked away to the washroom. She pushed open the door and to her great surprise, met up with her long time friend Natyla.

" Nadie? Is that you babe?"

Piper squealed, only two people ever called her Nadie, Natyla, and Trina, her best friends.

" Nattie!" Piper exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly.

" Girl what are you doing here?" Natyla asked.

" Long story short, I got blackmailed into this bogus date with this asshole I work with and see how I got here."

" Whoa hang on. Wait, wait, wait! You wrestle now right?"

" Yeah."

" So how'd you get reeled into a bogus date like that?"

" It's a long story. But look, he keeps trying to feel me up and shit and I want out of here! My boyfriend..."

" Whoa! Hang on! You got a boyfriend but you're here on a date with another guy?"  
" Okay, I'll explain. Paul, you remember my brother, well, he doesn't like my boyfriend and this guy I work with, Chris, he took pictures of me and my boyfriend together in the hotel lobby and he threatened to show them to Paul if I didn't go out with him. So what's why I'm here now." Piper explained.

" Damn. What a fucking bastard," Natyla said. " So what's your beau's name?"

Piper laughed. " Jeff."

" Jeff, he wrestle too?"

" Yeah. You usually can't miss him. As of right now, he's got blue hair." Piper said.

" OH! The Hardy guy!" Natyla exclaimed.

" Yep," Piper grinned. " I have to call him and get him to pick me up! He said if Chris tries anything with me for me to call him and he'll come and get me."  
" So call him."

" But I still need a way to get outta here without Chris seeing me." Piper said.

" Where's he at? You call Jeff and I'll go distract Chrissy boy. You get out and Jeff can pick you up." Natyla said.

" Thank you Nattie," Piper hugged her friend. " You can't miss him. He's got this nasty blonde hair with red ends. Loud looking shirt, it's black with red thingys on it."

" No problem Babe. You want me to go now and distract him or you want to call Jeff first?"

" I'm gonna call Jeff first."

" Okay."  
Piper pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Jeff's cell number.

"...Jeff...Hi baby. Yes...come get me please. ...No, I just want out. Well...he grabbed my knee about 3 or 4 times and he tried touching me...Jeff calm down he didn't touch me...Yes...please just come. Directions Ok, when you leave the hotel, go straight down the road and make a left. Go down that road and make a right at that log cabin looking place. Right there. ...Got that? ...My friend Natyla...I ran into her here...yeah...she's gonna make a distraction for me while I get out...yes...I will...Okay. I love you too Jeff. Bye."

" So what's happening?"

" Jeff's coming...and he says thank you for helping." 

" Not a problem. You're like my baby sister girl, you know that." Natyla said smiling.

" I'm only 4 months younger okay, bring it down." Piper laughed.

" Okay, I'm gonna go and find this dude but I'll keep an eye out for you. Once I see you out the door, I'm gone too okay?"  
" Sure," Piper nodded. " Where are you going to though? I mean do you have a place to go?"

" Yeah home," Natyla said. " I live around here girl."

" Since when do you live in Texas?" Piper asked incredulously.

" Since about a month ago," Natyla laughed. " Okay, let's get this over with!"

Piper nodded as Natyla walked out of the washroom. Piper peeked out and saw that Natyla had immediately found Chris. She ran a bit and slammed right into the back of his chair, making him spill his coffee all over his clothes.

" Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy!" Natyla exclaimed, as she saw Piper make a beeline for the door.

Chris gritted his teeth and pasted on a smile. " It's alright...really."

" I'm sorry! I'm just in a hurry! I'm really sorry but I've got to be going!"

Natyla ran off from the table and busted out the front door. Piper was leaning against the side of the restaurant, looking back for Natyla.

" Nattie! What happened?"  
" I made him spill coffee all over himself," She laughed hysterically. " He's po'ed! It's great!"

Piper giggled. " You are awesome Natyla Barker!"

Natyla jokingly bowed. " Thank you darlin, thank you."

Piper and Natyla stood outside the restaurant, looking back every few seconds to see if Chris were coming. After a few minutes they saw a black Corvette come revving around the corner. Piper grinned as it stopped in front of the building and the driver rolled down the passenger side window. Jeff leaned over and looked at Piper.

" Hey honey. Everything okay?"

" Yeah, it's fine. Can we squeeze one more in? Nattie needs a ride home."

" Uh...yeah sure...if she's tiny she can fit in the back," Jeff laughed nervously. " It's a bit of a mess back there."

Piper turned to Natyla. " Wanna squeeze in?"  
" Can I?"  
" Yeah sure, Jeff doesn't mind."  
" Great."  
Piper managed to pull the seat back in the dark and Natyla slide into the back of Jeff's Corvette.

" Sorry its cramped back there, I didn't expect more than one." Jeff smiled.  
" No problem," Natyla smiled. " I'm Natyla by the way, I'm sure Nadie's mentioned me before." She laughed.

" Nadie?" Jeff looked at Piper.  
" My middle name is Nadia, and I had this one shirt I wore all the time that said Naughty on it and I adapted the nickname Nadie cos if you say it right, Nadie sounds like Naughty so they gave it to me." Piper explained giggling.

" I see." Jeff said grinning.

" Don't even think about it Jeff Hardy!" Piper said, playfully slapping him across the chest.

" What? I didn't say anything!" He defended with a laugh.

" Aw! How cute are you two." Natyla giggled from the back.

Piper laughed. " Well thank you Nattie!"

" So Miss Natyla, where do you live?"

" Just down the road actually. Just keep straight and hang a right after the stoplight. I'm the first house in the community, can't miss me."

" Cool."

" If there's a seat belt back there, I suggest you buckle it, I've heard from a certain little birdie that Jeffy boy here drives like a maniac." Piper giggled.

" Not-so-mental note, hurt Amy." Jeff said jokingly.

" Oh don't hurt her. She was just being honest." Piper said.

" I'm sure."

Piper and Natyla laughed as Jeff screeched into the turnoff for Natyla's house and quickly turned into her driveway. Piper climbed out and let Natyla out. The two hugged and made sure they'd keep in touch before Natyla ran up to her house and bumbled into the door. Piper laughed and slid back into Jeff's Corvette. She shut the door and Jeff took her hand, lacing her small fingers with his. He kissed the top of her hand and gently let it go.

" So is everything okay?" Jeff asked.

" Yeah, I just really needed to get outta there, Chris was driving me insane, in a not good at all way and I couldn't stand him talking and talking and talking about Fozzy and the championships and all that crap. And him trying to grab me and shit. It started pissing me off." Piper said.

" He was what?"  
" He kept, not so subtly trying to move his hand up my thigh, I slapped him, jammed his hand up between my knee and the table and I mentally threatened him and he got the message." 

Jeff chuckled. " That's my girl. You're strong baby. I'm proud of you."

Piper smiled and ran her fingers over Jeff's forearm. " Thank you."

Jeff grabbed Piper's hand and squeezed it tightly as they drove back to the hotel. Even if she went through a "date" with Chris, she did end up having a nice time, after she met up with her friend. She loved it that Jeff cared so much about her he came to pick her up as soon as she called. Piper laughed to herself, imagining Chris sitting in the restaurant alone waiting for her to come back. She knew it was mean, but Chris deserved it. But in the back of her mind, she still knew that he had those pictures of she and Jeff that could ultimately ruin their relationship. Piper pushed it to the farthest outreaches of her mind and concentrated on the loving feeling she received from Jeff, he radiated such wonderful energy and made her feel good, he never ever made her feel bad about herself, he always made her feel like she was something special, even if they'd only been together a short time, and their relationship was stressed. Piper felt a lot of love come from Jeff and she tried her hardest to give off the same feeling he did. She knew Jeff loved her and she loved Jeff, they just wondered how long it would be before they had an actual relationship, one that didn't have to be hidden. Soon enough, they pulled back up into the parking lot of the hotel. Jeff and Piper got out of his Corvette and walked into the hotel. The stopped in the lobby and she rested her head on his shoulder.

" Thank you again."  
" It's no problem baby."

" I love you Jeff."  
" I love you too Piper," Jeff squeezed her gently. " Stay with me?"

Piper hesitated on her response. " Sure," She smiled. " I'll stay."

Jeff smiled and kissed her forehead as they made their way to the elevator. Piper stopped off at the room she was supposed to be sharing with Stephanie, told her what was going on, got her suitcase and left. Jeff admired her dress as she was walking away.

" You look hot tonight my little Gothic Queen." Jeff grinned, taking her suitcase.

" Oh well think you my Gothic King," Piper giggled. " I love this dress."

" Me too." Jeff smiled as they walked into his room.

" Unoccupied I see." Piper said, sitting on a bed.

" Yeah. Don't ask me."

Piper smiled and searched through her suitcase for her pajamas. She pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top as Jeff easily stripped down to his boxers. Piper got undressed and Jeff looked on, never taking his eyes off of her. Piper felt her entire body get warm from blushing so deeply. Jeff pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed as Piper went to take her hair down. She emerged from the bathroom, face completely natural, no make-up whatsoever, her long black hair hanging down. Jeff smiled as she climbed in next to him. He gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

" You look so beautiful without make-up Piper. I love it."

" You think I look better natural?"  
Jeff nodded. " Yes. You're beautiful."

Piper smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Jeff leaned over and turned out the light. The two cuddled up as the light of the moon shown through the open curtains and fell asleep in each other's arms.


	6. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 6

Piper woke up the next morning, Jeff's arms wrapped tightly around her. Piper smiled up at Jeff who was sleeping peacefully. She giggled, remembering how he called her his Gothic Queen the night before. She smiled and managed to disentangle herself from her Gothic King without even coming close to waking him. Piper reached into her suitcase and pulled out a blue hard-backed book and a pen. She sat at the table and began to write.

__

Dear Katherine,

Hello again my friend. It's been so long since I've told you a secret. Now I've got a big one to tell you. It's the first time I've spent the night with my boyfriend. Jeff Hardy. My Gothic King. I am his Gothic Queen. He called me such yesterday. Yesterday was hell to mention it. You see Katherine, I'm happy, I am. Well, partially happy anyhow. The only down side to my relationship with Jeff is that Paul can't stand the fact that we are dating. Rather, he doesn't know. I love Jeff, I really do, but we've got to keep our relationship a big secret. I can't stand it. Jeff's so loving and wonderful. Well dear Katherine, I've got to be leaving now, I'll try and keep you updated.

Love, Hugs, & Kisses,

"Jeff's Gothic Queen"

Piper N. Levesque

" Who's Katherine?" Jeff asked with a yawn.

" Katherine's my diary. My Mom always told me that if I name my diaries, I'd always feel like I have a special friend, and it's true."

Jeff smiled and kissed Piper's cheek. " My Gothic Queen."

" You're not supposed to read it!" Piper exclaimed protectively.

Jeff backed away. " Sorry baby."

Piper got up and hugged Jeff. "It's alright," She giggled childishly and pinched Jeff's ass, he jumped. " Just don't do it again."

Jeff smiled and pinched Piper's ass just as she did his. She giggled and kissed Jeff's lips. Jeff wrapped his arms around Piper; she laid her head on his shoulder.

" I wish it could be like this all the time." Piper whispered.

" So do I baby." Jeff said.

" Hey. I think I should go grab a shower, ya know. I can't stay much longer." Piper said sadly.

Jeff nodded. " Help yourself," He grinned. " May I tag?"

" No. Not yet. I don't want you to see yet." Piper smiled.

Jeff jokingly pouted. " Why not?"

" Cause, me virgin. You...not sure."

Jeff shook his head. " You are?"

" Yes," Piper said. " Why do you suddenly look so pale?"

" I... I don't know. I guess it may be because I don't think I've ever had a girlfriend who was a virgin."

" Oh," Piper looked down. " Is that bad?"

" No! Not at all! It's completely fine," Jeff said. " See, it kinda tells me that deep inside, no matter how naughty you act, or how sexy you are, there's still a big bit of innocence in there, and I like that."  
Piper smiled and kissed Jeff on the cheek. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out her baggy light blue Mac Girl pants and her black midriff top with long sleeves. Jeff smiled and kissed Piper's head, she giggled and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

*later*

" So give me the details Piper, What exactly happened?" Amy asked.

" Well, we went on the most horrible date. He took me to this place that looked like a log cabin. He kept trying to put his hand up my leg and he kept trying to like grope me and he just talked and talked and talked non stop and he didn't shut up! So eventually I went off to the bathroom and my best friend Natyla was there and she helped me devise a plan to get out of there. She went and distracted Chris will I got out, but I had called Jeff beforehand." Piper said.

" Nice," Amy laughed. " I think I should meet this Natyla chick."

" Yeah definitely. Natyla rocks."

" Sweet."

" When we come back to Texas again."

" She lives here?"

" Yep. Not too far from here."

" Nice. Why don't she just come today?"  
" Dunno."  
Amy smiled. " So Jeff ended up getting ya last night."

" Yeah. And well...yea gotta keep this a secret okay?"

" It never leaves this lockeroom." Amy said.

" Well, I spent the night with Jeff last night," Piper grinned. " It was so awesome. I never thought I'd get to stay with Jeff like that."  
" Like what?" Amy exclaimed.

Piper waved her hand. " Not like that Aims. Just being with him, ya know? It just felt real good to have him put his arms around me and to wake up like that. I was so happy." Piper smiled widely.

" Aw," Amy gushed. " That's so cute! You and Jeff would make the sweetest lovey dovey little couple. That would be so adorable!"

Piper blushed. " You think?"  
" Yeah! Trust me, I've known Jeff for a long time. It's been a while since he's had a real solid, almost anyhow, relationship like this one. Well, one where the girl really honestly loves him." Amy said.

" So is it true that I'm the only virgin girlfriend he's ever had?" Piper asked.

" That...I don't know babe."

" He told me that I was the only one." Piper said.

" Quite interesting." Amy said.

" Why is it "quite interesting"?"

" I just never knew Jeff's never had a virgin girlfriend. It's really not a big deal at all."

" Yeah. Plus, he likes the idea anyhow," Piper smiled. " He said it was nice I'm a virgin cos no matter how bad I act or how naughty I am, he knows there's some innocence in me and he likes that."

Amy giggled. " That's so cute! Jeff's a goof, but he can be all romantic and stuff. It's strange."

" Aw Amy. I really love him. But..."

" But you can't act on it because of Paul." Amy finished.

" Yes, exactly." Piper pouted.

Amy put an arm around her friend and gave her a little squeeze. " It'll get figured out eventually honey, don't stress, just spend the time you can with him."

Piper smiled at Amy. " Thanks babe, you're the best."

" Hey, look, I gotta jet but I'll definitely come and see ya later chica."

" Later Aims."

" Later."

Amy left the room and shortly after she did, Piper left as well. She walked past hair and make-up on her way to visit Stephanie and was stopped by one of the ladies at the hair stations.

" Piper! We've been looking all over for you. Stephanie wanted us to tell you about your new look for ring attire to coincide with your storyline and character."

" Okay Kayla, shoot." Piper said.

" As Stephanie put it, we're to make you look a bit, "punkish". Stephanie said it's something you know about."

" Oh yeah. Punkish. I know what she means."

" Well, your hair is already perfect so all you need is the wardrobe for tonight, which was hand picked by none other than the many you're managing, Jeff Hardy." Kayla said with a smile.

" Awesome," Piper grinned. " Where can I get it?"

" Stephanie has it."

" Great, thanks a mill Kayla."

" No problem Piper."

Piper walked off, continuing her trip to Stephanie's lockeroom, when she could naturally hear Paul's ranting a mile away. Piper walked in the door to see Stephanie holding up the shirt Piper as to wear, a quite amused look on her face.

" Is that torn? What the hell is that?" Paul asked.

" It's called a tank top Paul," Piper said. " You generally wear it on your upper body."

" You are not wearing that to the ring."

Piper examined the shirt. _' Slipknot, nice choice Jeff_," She thought. " Hey. I didn't pick it out."

Piper took the ensemble from Stephanie and walked into the bathroom to put it on. The outfit consisted of a Slipknot tank top with thin straps and a pentagram with the band name over it and a slash through the stomach. The pants looked like something Jeff definitely picked out. They were black and baggy, barely touching her long legs she had on her regular wrestling boots and heavy solid black armbands on both arms. Piper admired Jeff's choice in clothing. She smiled and did a little turn before walking out of the bathroom. Piper did a spin for Stephanie and Paul, smiling happily.

" What's that say?" Paul asked.

" Slipknot," Piper replied. " They kick ass."

" What is Slipknot?" Paul asked.

" A totally hardcore rock band. This is where I got the idea for my tattoo." Piper said, pointing at the Pentagram design on the shirt.

Paul snorted. " That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

" I don't care Paul, Slipknot is an awesome band."

" Whatever it is, you're not wearing it to the ring." Paul said decidedly.

" Sorry Pauly, I didn't pick it out, wardrobe did. This is what they want me to wear tonight, it's to fit with my character and storyline." Piper said.

Paul rolled his eyes and left the room. Piper loved bugging her brother to that point of annoyance.

" So you've got a match for the title tonight, against Victoria." Stephanie said.

" Great. No problem."

" Well, almost no problem." Stephanie said.

" I don't like this..."

" Well creative/writing staff meeting earlier and they want to work you and Jeff into a feud with somebody and guess who they picked."

" Kane!" Piper said hopefully.  
" Hardly. The one and only, Y2J, Chris Jericho."

Piper's mouth fell open. " You're bullshitting me! Please say you're bullshitting me! You are aren't you?"

" Sorry Piper."  
Piper mumbled a string of curses under her breath and flopped on the couch.

" What happened yesterday?" Stephanie inquired.

" It was a bullshit date. It ended in my friend Natyla saving my ass, and then me getting to spend the night in Jeff Hardy's arms." Piper grinned.

" Aw! Isn't that adorable," Stephanie smiled. "So you finally got to spend the night in your man's arms."

" Yes, and it was wonderful. Jeff's so warm and loving. He's truly amazing."

" That's great," Stephanie said. " But now you've got to go and accompany Jeff in his match against Y2J."

" Do I get to interfere?"

" Naturally."

" Awesome. Later Steph."

*********************************************************************************

" The following match is scheduled for one fall. First, making his way to the ring, from Cameron North Carolina, being accompanied by Piper, Jeff Hardy!"

Jeff bopped down to the ring, glowing as the black-clad Piper strutted after him. Jeff posed for the fans as the lights went off again and the countdown started. 5-4-3-2-1! BOOM! Chris Jericho makes his entrance. As Y2J gets into the ring, Piper glares at him out of real life spite and climbs out of the ring. Piper jumped down and leaned against the ring apron. The bell rings and Jericho and Jeff lock up. Jeff whips Jericho across the ring and Jericho hits him with a shoulder block. Jericho picks Jeff up and chops him. Jeff gives him one back. Jericho suplexes Jeff and goes for the cover. Jeff kicks out after two. Jericho dominates Jeff, he has Jeff on the mat and starts to showboat. He looks down at Piper and blows her a kiss. She rolls her eyes and flips him off. Jericho gets out of the ring and walks up to Piper. She backs away and tries to ignore him. Jeff baseball slides Jericho on the outside. Jericho rams Jeff into the steel steps. The referee yells at Jericho to get back into the ring. Jericho advances to Piper again but this time she slaps him. Jericho glares at Piper and shoves her down. Jericho gets back into the ring and Jeff pulls himself into the ring. Jericho locks Jeff in the Walls of Jericho but Piper distracts the referee and he doesn't see Jeff tapping out. Jericho breaks the hold and sees Piper on the apron. The ref tells him to leave her alone so Jericho shoves the ref. Jericho to goes to hit Piper but she hangs him up on the top rope. Jeff manages to the top rope and hits a Swanton Bomb for the win!

" Here is your winner, Jeff Hardy!"

*later- RAW cont.*

Black sparks shoot up from the stage and "Enth E Nd" plays and Piper appears.

" The following match is for the WWE Women's Championship. First making her way to the ring, from Nashua New Hampshire, she is the WWE Women's Champion, Piper!"

Piper walks down the ramp in her all black attire, the Women's championship belt around her waist. She gets into the ring and takes off the belt, showing it off for the fans, smiling.

" And the challenger, from Los Angeles California, Victoria!"

Victoria walks down the ramp and jumps into the ring. Victoria stares at Piper, seemingly disgusted. Piper rolls her eyes and the bell rings and Victoria immediately comes at Piper. Piper ducks and clotheslines Victoria down and picks her up but Victoria chops Piper hard. Piper stumbles but gives Victoria a chop of her own. Victoria goes for a fight hand but Piper blocks and hits a neckbreaker. Piper hits a flip splash and goes for the cover. Victoria kicks out after two. Victoria drops Piper on her back and hits a leg drop on her. Victoria picks up Piper and hits a stalling brain buster Victoria picks up Piper again and chops her across the chest. Piper tries to block another chop but fails. Victoria gives Piper a snap suplex and goes for the cover but only gets a two count. Victoria slams Piper and gives her a DDT. Victoria does a springboard leg drop but Piper rolls out of the way. Piper gets up and climbs the turnbuckles as Victoria gets up. Piper hits her with a hurrincanrana. Piper picks up Victoria and gives her an under hook suplex. Piper climbs the turnbuckles and hits Victoria with the Below the Sunrise. She goes for the cover. 1-2-3.

"Here is your winner and STILL WWE Women's Champion, PIPER!"

Victoria rolls out of the ring as the ref hands Piper her belt back. But Chris Jericho comes down the ramp and gets into the ring. Piper glares at him and sneers. Jericho gives a cocky smile and grabs Piper's legs and puts her in the Walls of Jericho. Piper screams in pain and begins to tap out. The ref tells Jericho to let her go but he refuses. Piper continues to tap and finally Jericho lets her go. Piper holds her back in pain as Jericho grabs a microphone.

" You wanna mess with me? You wanna screw me over? Well guess what honey! You just don't mess wi..."

The crowd begins to roar as Jeff comes running down the ramp. Jeff hits Jericho with a big clothesline and the two begin brawling all over the mat. More refs come running down the ramp to separate the two. They manage to separate Jeff and Jericho and RAW goes to a commercial.

*******************************************************************************

" You okay? I know what the Walls Of Jericho hurt."

" Yeah I'm fine." I said.

" Good," Jeff kissed Piper's cheek. " Sorry honey but I gotta go, I have to meet Matt. Call my cell later on okay?"  
" I will."  
" Love you."

" I love you too Jeff."

Jeff kissed Piper's cheek again and walked away.

" You think that was funny last night?" A voice behind Piper said.

She spun around and smirked. " As a matter of fact Chris, I found it very amusing."

" Well I didn't! You had you pathetic little boyfriend come whisk you away before it even got fun." Chris sneered.

" Oh please Chris, that date wasn't going to get any better no matter how much longer we sat there."

Chris grabbed Piper by the arm. " You think you're real funny don't you? It was all just a big joke to you wasn't it? Well it won't be a big joke when Paul hears what I have to say."

" You can't! I went on your stupid date! You said you wouldn't tell Paul. You never said I had to stay!"

Chris tightened his grip on Piper's arm, she jerked away but it didn't help. He pulled her close to his face, growling something to her she didn't even understand and shoved her backwards. Piper stumbled on a wire on the floor and fell to the ground, the back of her head solidly connecting with an equipment box.

*later*

" Is she alright?" A loud male voice boomed.

Piper winced inwardly, groaning at the sudden loud sound reverberating in her ears.

" Mark hush," A female voice said. " You'll probably give the poor thing a worse headache than what she's got!"

Piper's eyes slowly fluttered open. She winced at the lights and threw her arm over her eyes.

" Mark?" She groaned.

" You alright Piper?"

" I got a fucking headache the size of Japan and I'm gonna kick Chris Irvine in his Goddamned motherfucking balls so hard they're gonna come out his fucking ears!"

The female voice from before laughed. " It sounds like you'll really do that."

Piper slowly moved her arm. " Sara?"

" That's right. I came to do my occasional visit and found you on the floor."

" Damn Chris." Piper groaned and tried to sit up.

Mark grabbed Piper before she fell off the trainer's bench. He held her up in a sitting position as the door burst open and Paul walked in, a genuinely concerned look on his face. He took Mark's place in holding Piper up. Piper said "thank you" to Mark and Sara and they left the room.

" Are you alright?" Paul asked, his voice a little too loud for her ears.  
" OW! And no! my head hurts and I'm gonna fucking kill Chris Irvine."

Paul's look of concern turned to one of anger when Piper mentioned him.

" Speaking of Chris Irvine. He had something quite interesting to show me."

Piper gulped nervously. " What's that?"

" Pictures."

" What pictures?"  
" Of you, and that Jeff Hardy."

" Paul...please don't get mad! I know what you said but I just can't...I lo..."

" Don't. Just stop! I don't want to hear it. This is a warning Piper, don't let it happen again, or you know the consequences."

Paul let Piper go and left the room. She sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bench and slowly stood up. Her head was still pounding and she wobbled gently from side to side. Piper put her hands on the table to attempt to stead herself. Using chairs and the wall to steady herself as she walked through the arena, Piper wobbled out of the trainer's room. Piper managed her way down part of the hall, but tripped on another cord and went crashing to the ground again, this time her ass broke her fall. Piper sat on the floor, resting her head in her hand and cried. She still hadn't changed from her wrestling clothes, and couldn't even make it back to the lockeroom to do so. Her head pounded and she felt dizzy and there was no one around to help.

" Of all the people that work for this damn company why isn't there anyone around when you need help!" Piper cried to herself.

" Anyone special you're looking for?"

Piper gasped and put a hand to her chest. " BROCK! You scared me to death," She swatted his chest with the back of her hand. " Can you just help me to the Women's lockeroom please? I can't exactly make it on my own."

" Sure," Brock picked Piper up from the ground and carried her in his arms. " What happened to you? Little miss tough girl having a breakdown." He laughed.

" I'm pretty sure I have a concussion." Piper said mindlessly.

" Ouch. How'd you get that?" Brock asked.

" Irvine threw me into an equipment box."

" He what?"

" He threw me into an equipment box. I smacked the back of my head on it. He's pissed at me."

" What for?"

" Long story. I don't wanna talk about it."

" Okay. Whatever you say," Brock said, putting her back on the ground. " There ya go."

" Thanks a lot Brock. I wouldn't have made it here if you hadn't come along."

" No problem. See ya later Piper."

" Bye."

Piper pushed open the door to the Women's lockeroom and was almost immediately swarmed by countless fellow Divas. They were all clamoring over her, trying to see if she was okay. Amy jumped up on a bench and called out to all the girls.  
" Hey! Hey! Let her breath girls! Back it up," Amy jumped down. " You alright chica?"

Piper plopped down in a chair next to Victoria. " Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I have a concussion. I'm sure y'all all heard what happened. I fell on my ass trying to get here," Piper snorted. " Lucky for me Brock happened to be wandering and he carried me here."

" Aw! How sweet of him," Trish giggled. " How'd you end up in the trainer's room anyhow?"

" Mark and Sara. Well, Sara found me, and I assume she got Mark to get me off the ground. What do y'all think Vince will do about it? Anything?"

There was a collective chorus of answers from the Divas, ranging from "probably nothing" to "who knows", and "suspend him". 

Amy tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. " He showed Paul."

" I know," Piper shook her head. " I got "warned". Paul said if it ever happened again, and he got word of it, he'd kick the shit outta my Jeff." Piper pouted.

" Don't worry girl. Y'all will just have to be more careful." Amy said smiling.

" So has everyone heard the story of my date with Chris Irvine?" Piper asked smirking.

Amy and Trish gave a nod whilst the rest of the Divas said no.

" Well y'all are in for one messed up story..."

Piper took a breath and began to tell her fellow Divas the story of her bogus date with Chris. They all began to laugh at the end, when Piper stuck him at the restaurant. She simply shrugged and waved it off.

" I got a concussion cos of it and my boyfriend is marked by my older brother. I mean, if something like that happens again, Paul's gonna want Jeff's blood. And I'm not kidding. He'll beat him till he bleeds, and won't stop until he sees it. That's what I'm scared of."

Victoria winced and put an arm around Piper. " Hey but don't worry. We've all got your back. Right girls?"

A unison response of excited yes's came up from the group.

" Thanks girls. What would I do without y'all."

" Death by Paul." Trish snickered.

" You're probably right Trish."

*later*

" So Paul knows huh?" Stephanie asked.

" Sort of. He doesn't know that Jeff and I are dating, just that Chris had pictures of us kissing..." Piper said.

" Oh. So when do you think you'll go on your first date with Jeff?"

" Probably not till we have a off week and Jeff and I can go to North Carolina and be alone." Piper replied.

" Oh," Stephanie said. " That's sad."

" Tell me about it. OH! By the way, did I tell you about the Gothic Queen thing?" Piper exclaimed.

" No you didn't."

" It's great! From the way I was dressed, Jeff has dubbed me his Gothic Queen." Piper smiled.

" Seriously?" Stephanie asked.

" Yeah. So I call him my Gothic King."

" Cute." Stephanie smiled.

" I love my Gothic King." Piper said with a somewhat impish smile.

" And I'm 100% sure your Gothic King loves his Gothic Queen." Stephanie said.

Piper giggled. " Hey Steph. I'll be right back, I wanna go see him."

" Piper that's not such a great idea. Paul knows something's going on and I don't want you to get caught because I know you love Jeff and I know what Paul said if he caught you two together and I know you don't want to see your boyfriend beat up. Please just stay." Stephanie pleaded.

" Steph!"

" Piper please. I know you love Jeff but don't risk your relationship."

Piper sighed. " Fine. But it's not fair that we can't see each other like normal fucking couples cos my dumbass brother is a prick and suddenly doesn't like Jeff when he becomes interested in me. Just because he doesn't like his individuality. Jeff's unique and Paul thinks he's a freak."

" Being in this business and being a normal couple isn't exactly an easy task either," Stephanie said. " With paparazzi, and rumors, and fans and everything else that comes with being WWE superstar or diva. Piper nothing's easy here." Stephanie said.

" I know that Steph but that I can deal with but what I can't deal with is the fact that my own brother doesn't think enough of my judgment to say that I don't' know who I want to be with."

" Piper, Paul doesn't mean anything by doing that. He just wants to protect you." Stephanie said.

" Yeah Stephanie I know what he's **trying **to do but that's not what he's doing," Piper said. " What he's doing is hurting me. He's making me feel like I don't matter to him. Like my feelings don't matter to him. Steph I'm happy, and on top of that, I'm in love! I love Jeff and I can't have it because Paul doesn't want me to. he doesn't want me to have it and I can't be happy because of that." Piper said, starting to cry.

" Piper. Listen. Go ahead. Go see him. But be back here in one hour. I'll cover for you okay? Just be back in an hour."

" Stephanie McMahon you are the best," Piper exclaimed, hugging her tightly. " I promise! I'll be back in an hour."

" You better! Now go ahead!"  
Piper giggled happily and snatched up her keycard and ran from the room. She jumped onto the elevator and went up to the 4th floor. Once it stopped Piper ran down the hall to room 421 and banged on the door. She jumped happily from foot to foot as the door opened and revealed Jeff behind it. Piper jumped into Jeff's arms and hugged him tightly.

" Hey sexy. What are you doing up here?" Jeff asked, carrying Piper inside the room and kicking the door shut.

" I wanted to see you." Piper said.  
" Risky."

" Very. But I don't care. Stephanie said she'd cover for me but I had to be back in an hour."

" Aw. That's sweet of her," Jeff said, kissing Piper's lips. " I love you."

" I love you too Jeff," Piper smiled. " Now, what do you want to do for an hour?"

" Whatever you want babe."

" Well, we could sit her and talk or we could sit here and just make out."

" Let's make out," Jeff laughed. " If that's what you seriously want to do."

" I don't have a problem with that."

Jeff chuckled and kissed Piper's lips once more. The pair hadn't moved from the position they were in when Piper had run to the room. Piper was in Jeff's arms, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Jeff sat down on the bed, wrapping his arms about Piper's tiny waist as he slowly pulled away from her.

" I don't think I can survive that for an hour." Jeff said with a deep breath.

" Aw. Poor baby. Why not?"

" I'd tell you, but I wouldn't want to impose any type of perverted thoughts on your virgin ears."

" Oh please! I've heard everything you can think of and more Jeffro. Your wild fantasies ain't gonna hurt me."

" If you're sure." Jeff shrugged.

Jeff grinned and whispered something into Piper's ear. She gasped but then giggled, childishly covering her mouth.

" Oh! Jeffy you a bad boy!"

Jeff laughed and kissed Piper once more. She got up from his lap and laid on her stomach on the bed. Jeff laid down as well, lying on his side to face her.

" This. This would be nice all the time." He said.

" Yeah it would," Piper agreed. " But obstacles, obstacles."

" Yeah. We'll work around 'em somehow baby." Jeff said.

Piper nodded and cuddled up closer to Jeff. She laid her head on his shoulder, as Jeff wrapped his arm around her waist. They laid there like that for the entire hour, talking, kissing, cuddling, in silence, whatever they could do to be together. Their hour together though soon passed and it was time for Piper to leave. Piper rose from the bed with a disappointed sigh and walked towards the door. Jeff kissed her on the forehead and wished her sweet dreams before she left the room.

" Crazy seeing you 'round these parts." A voice said.

Piper whipped around quickly, thinking the voice belonged to her brother. Finding out the truth, Piper walked up to the person and punched them solidly in the chest.

" Shawn! You **know** I hate when you do that!"

" What's wrong Legs, I'm trying to keep you outta trouble."

" Oh please! You wanting to keep me outta trouble is a lie in itself."

" Come on Piper I'm serious. I know what Paul's like. And I heard about what happened today."

" You did?"

" Yes."

" So you're not gonna rat on me?" Piper asked.

" No. I won't. Your secret is safe with me."

Piper smiled and hugged Shawn. " Thank you."

" No problem. Now get outta here!"


	7. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 7

" Okay Piper, let's get your storylines straight. For the time being, you'll stick with the new, more gothic look, which will eventually lead you to a stint with Jeff and Edge as a new form of The Brood later on down the line," Stephanie said. " After that is when you start the beauty feud with Stacy Keibler. And in between there is where you will start your loving relationship with Jeff, because during that version of the Brood, you'll be almost like Jeff's...Psycho Sex Kitten."

Piper laughed. " Sounds like fun."

" I bet you would enjoy that. " Stephanie said.

" Well as long as I don't really have to have sex. You know how I am."

" Yes, I know. Don't worry, about that, you won't."

" Good." Piper said.

" Now as for tonight, you and Jeff are in an intergender tag match against Chris Jericho and Victoria."

" Yay. Intergender, Chris can attack me legally."

" Tag out fast. That's all."

" I'll be alright. Don't sweat."

" Well run down to wardrobe and get your outfit for tonight, your match is one of the first."

" Did Jeff pick it out again?"  
" No...well not all of it."

" How much of it did he pick out?"

" The pants."

Piper laughed and walked from the room. She went down the hall towards the wardrobe department. Piper picked up her outfit and sprinted anxiously towards Stephanie's lockeroom to put her out fit on. Stephanie laughed at Piper's strange enthusiasm as she disappeared into the bathroom. As soon as she finished she walked out of the bathroom and twirled around. Stephanie smiled and gave Piper a thumbs up on the outfit, a pair of baggy black pants that were cut on the sides of the legs and sewn loosely back together with silver string. She wore a long sleeved purple mesh half shirt and a black bra top underneath it. 

" I like this," Piper twirled around. " I like it a lot."

" Good, I'm glad. Now scoot! Your match is up first!"

Piper nodded and ran from the room. She ran down the hall and bumped into Jeff. He smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.

" Hey partner." He said.  
" Hiya. How's it hangin?"

" Eh not bad," Jeff shrugged and laughed. " Come with me. I wanna trademark you."

" Trademark me? What?" Piper asked as Jeff pulled her down the hall.

" Yep, I'm gonna make you glow."

" People have already told me I glow."

" Well, in a literal sense then."

Jeff pulled Piper down the hall and stopped at a table, where he had left his bottle of glow in the dark paint and brush. He put some of the paint on the brush and grinned at Piper.

" Close your eyes. This stuff can get drippy."  
" Jeff..."  
" Don't worry. Just a little bit. I'll look fine."

Piper nodded and closed her eyes. Jeff grinned mischievously and drew a small design on her left cheek. He put a bit on her forehead and made a line coming down from her forehead, across her right cheek, and onto her chin.

" Okay, open your eyes."

Piper opened her eyes and looked in the mirror. " Not bad honey. Not bad at all."

Jeff kissed Piper on the mouth. " Thank you."  
Jeff and Piper walked back to the curtain and waited for the beginning of RAW. All the opening pyros were set off and Jeff's music began to play.

*********************************************************************************

" The following contest is an Intergender Tag Team Match. First, making their way to the ring, the team of Piper and Jeff Hardy!"

Jeff's music blares and he dances his way down the ramp. Piper grins and runs down after him. The two pose on the ropes and stand side by side as Victoria's music starts up.

" And the opponent, first, making her way to the ring, from Los Angeles, California. Victoria!"

Victoria comes down the ramp. Staring a hole through Piper's head. She stands at the base of the ramp as the lights go out and the countdown begins. Jericho's pyros blow and the self proclaimed "King Of The World" makes his way to the stage, tag team title belt around his waist.

" And her partner, from Winnipeg Manitoba Canada. One half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho!"

Jericho makes his way down to the ring. He climbs in and glares towards Piper as well. Piper looks at Jeff. He mouths 'don't worry about them' and Piper climbs through the ropes. Chris and Jeff start off the match up. They lock up in the middle of the ring and Jericho gets Jeff in a tight side headlock. Jeff pushes him off and bounces off the ropes but Jericho knocks Jeff down with a shoulder block. Jericho goes for an elbow drop but Jeff rolls out of the way. Jeff picks up Jericho and shoots him off the ropes, catching him in a neckbreaker. Jeff kicks Jericho in the stomach and gives him a DDT. Jeff goes for the cover. 1-2. Jericho kicks out. Jericho scrambles away and tags in Victoria. She gets into the ring and stands tall in front of Jeff. Victoria goes to slap Jeff but he blocks it and grabs her hair. Jeff tags in Piper who comes in and kicks Victoria right in the stomach. Piper goes for a suplex but Victoria hits Piper in the stomach a few times. Victoria grabs Piper's legs out from under her and goes for a bridge pin. 1...Piper kicks out. Victoria gets up but is met by a spin kick from Piper. Victoria falls and as Piper went to grab her, she dumped Piper right out of the ring. Piper quickly recovers and slides back into the ring but Victoria had tagged in Jericho. Piper glared at him and went to tag Jeff but Jericho grabbed her by the hair. Jericho went for a powerbomb on Piper but she flipped out and landed on her feet. Piper slapped Jericho across the face and hit him with a few elbows to the side of the head. Jericho hit Piper in the stomach with his knee and threw her to the turnbuckle. Jericho ran at her but Piper moved and Jericho hit the steel post! Piper tags in Jeff. Jeff hits Jericho with a front dropkick. Jeff grabs Jericho's legs and his him with his signature leg drop to the groin (/stomach). Jeff went for the quick cover but Victoria came in and broke it up! Piper got into the ring and took Victoria down with a big clothesline. The ref pushes her back to her corner and doesn't see the low blow Jericho gives Jeff. Jericho hits the Lionsault but Piper breaks up the pin this time. Jericho grabs Piper and throws her to the turnbuckles again but this time Piper hits him with Jeff's Whisper In The Wind. Piper gets up and the ref again pushes her back to her corner. Piper complains but gets out of the ring. She starts the crowd going, chanting Jeff's name. Jeff gets to the corner and tags Piper in but Jericho is down from the Whisper In The Wind. Piper takes advantage and hits Jericho with a standing moonsault. Piper stomps on Jericho and picks him up. She hits him with a few elbows to the head and somehow gets him up in a suplex! Jeff cheers on Piper and Victoria yells for him to get over for a tag. Piper climbs the ropes and hits Jericho with a hurrincanrana. Piper goes to pick up Jericho again but he hits her in the stomach with a strong right hand. Jericho pulls Piper up and powerbombs her hard. He sneers and tags in Victoria. Victoria grins manically and picks up Piper by her hair. Victoria gives her two back to back snap suplexes. Victoria floats into the cover but only can hold Piper down for a two count. Piper gets to her knees and Victoria kicks her in the ribs. Piper cries out and falls back again.

" Come on Victoria! Tear her apart!" Jericho yells.

Jeff stomps his feet as hard as he can, trying to stimulate the crowd to get behind Piper. Victoria suplexes her again and stomps on her stomach. Piper grabs her midsection in pain and gets up to her knees again. Victoria kicks her harder than the first time. Piper falls and Victoria stomps on her back. Victoria picks up Piper and gives her a gutbuster. Piper groans loudly. Jeff stomps harder on the mat and claps his hands, starting up a "PIPER" chant. Piper gets up and whacks Victoria in the stomach. She chops her across the chest repeatedly. Piper whips Victoria across the ring but Victoria knocks her down. Victoria picks Piper up by the hair and drags her to her corner, holding out her hand for Jericho to tag. Jericho slaps Victoria's hand and gets into the ring. He talks some trash to Piper and shoves her on he derriere. Piper tries to get back to Jeff but Jericho grabs her ankle. Piper hits Jericho with an inzigury and falls to the mat. The crowd chants her name loudly and she tries to crawl over to Jeff. Jeff holds out his hand, stomping his foot. Jericho gets up before Piper and pulls her back. Jeff yells something to Jericho and he simply ignores him. Jericho puts Piper in the Walls of Jericho. Piper screams but refuses to tap out. Tired of seeing Piper get beat on, Jeff gets into the ring and hits Jericho off the Walls of Jericho. Jeff argues with the ref as he pushes him back to the corner. Jeff angrily gets back to his corner and starts cheering Piper on again. Jericho picks up Piper and goes to kick her but she grabs his foot and gives him a step-over heel kick, a la Rob Van Dam. Piper gets up and stomps Jericho then pulls him to the middle of the ring. She smirks and goes for a Lionsault of her own. Jericho gets his knees up and Piper hits them. Jericho rolls off the mat and picks Piper up, planting her with a DDT. Jericho goes for the pin. 1-2-...Piper just barely kicks out. Piper rolls up onto her knees and tries to catch her breath but Jericho had tagged in Victoria! Victoria grabs Piper by the hair and slams her down on her back. Victoria goes on the outside and flips back over the ropes, giving Piper a guillotine leg drop, right across the throat. Piper coughs loudly and somehow crawls over to Jeff, tagging him in before Victoria could get anything else in. Victoria takes a swing at Jeff but he ducks. She takes another and Jeff ducks again. Jeff trips Victoria and she tags in Jericho. Jeff hits Jericho with a deep arm drag and then another. Jeff does a flipping leg drop on Jericho and goes for the cover. 1...Jericho kicks out. Aggravated, Jeff picks up Jericho but Jericho hits Jeff with a knee to the stomach. Jeff drops to his knees and Jericho kicks him in the spine. Jeff groans loudly and holds his back. Jericho picks Jeff up and gives him a back breaker. Jeff groans again but fights back at Jericho. Jeff chops him across the chest and kicks him in the stomach. Jeff bounces off the ropes and pulls Jericho over in a Sunset Flip but Jericho counters and turns it into the Walls Of Jericho. Jeff writhes but doesn't tap out. Piper comes in to try and break it up but Victoria spears her down, banging her head against the mat. Piper kicks Victoria off of her but it was too late, Jeff taps out.

" And your winners, the team of Victoria and Chris Jericho."

**********************************************************************************

After their match Jeff and Piper said their good-byes and went on their separate ways. Piper walked down the hall and into the Women's lockeroom. She sat down, resting her feet on a chair. The door opened and Trish walked in. She smiled and sat opposite of Piper.

" Hey. What's up girl?"  
" Not much. Jeff and me just got our asses kicked by Victoria and King of the Assclowns Chris Jericho."

" I saw. It wasn't that bad Piper." Trish said.

" It was a good match. I mean I got to get my damn hands on Jericho. I say it was good." Piper grinned.

" So what's next for ya champ?" Trish laughed.

" Well, I'm going into a reformed version of the Brood angle with Jeff and Edge soon. Then after that, I'm gonna go into a "beauty feud" with Stacy Keibler."

" Sounds like fun."

" Yeah. I can't wait for the Brood thing. I get to be a psycho, gothic, sex kitten for Jeff."

" Oh! No chaste I see!" Trish giggled.

" Quite the contrary Miss Stratigias. I am chaste. It's a big deal to me." Piper said.

" Really? Good for you girl." Trish smiled.

" How about you Trish, this thing with Victoria gonna go any longer?"

" I'm not gonna lie. I don't know."

" I only get clued in cos I'm tight with Stephanie." Piper shrugged.

Trish smiled. " That's cool though. You and Steph are like polar opposites though."

" You and me are like polar opposites too but we're good friends."

" Very true. Oh! by the way. I almost forgot, one of the girls was telling me about the next Divas on-location photo shoot. It's WWE Divas, in Cancun Mexico!"

" Cancun? Oh my God! I've always wanted to go to Cancun!"  
" Well girl this is your chance! It's supposed to be really great down there at the time we're going." Trish said.

" That's awesome. I can't wait now. Do you know when it is?"

" Nah, not yet. They're only talking locations right now."

" Hmm...okay," Piper said. " Question."

" Shoot."

" We're the first match out. Ya think Jeff and me could find a cinema, see a movie, and be back by the time RAW is over?"

" Probably not. The only movies you'll ever find that's short are like Disney movies." Trish said.

" Damn. That sucks." Piper said, snapping her fingers.

" Sorry babe," Trish said. " Hey. I gotta go, match next. I'll talk to you later?"

" Yah definitely. See ya later Trish."

Trish smiled and walked out of the room. Piper got up and went to shower, changing from her wrestling gear. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and looked in the mirror. She wore a pair of red and white track pants, a white ribbed tank top and red and white Vans sneakers. Piper wrinkled her nose at her hair, the black was starting to fade and it looked terrible.

" Maybe I should go back to blonde again..."  
" Don't you dare!"

Piper spun around and saw Amy standing there, furiously shaking her head.

" Why not?" Piper asked.

" Because. It just wouldn't suit you girl. It wouldn't look right."

" Yeah. You're right."  
" Hey I came to let ya know that we're all gonna go meet a coupla our old friends at a club tonight, prolly a half hour after RAW if you wanna come.'  
" Yeah I'll come. But I gotta change again."

" Girl don't worry. I can so hook you up. Room with me tonight."

" Sure," Piper smiled. " Oh did you hear about the photo shoot thing? Trish just told me."

" No. What's up?"

" It's WWE Divas, in Cancun."  
" Cancun! Awesome!"

" Isn't it! I've always wanted to go to Mexico." Piper exclaimed.

" Hell yeah!"  
  
*later*

" Okay Piper, you should so wear this!" Amy exclaimed she and Trish clamored about Piper, trying to fix her hair.

" Girls, girls! Hello! I need to BREATHE! It's not like I'm going on a date, I'm coming with you guys to a club! Y'all can do this when I go on my first date with Jeff okay!" Piper cried.

" Oh! Serious?" Trish and Amy asked.

" Yes! You can make a big fuss over it when Jeff and I go out on our first date. FIRST date only! I give you utter and full permission to make this big of a deal over my hair and clothes and everything else when we got out the very first time. Okay?"

" Alright!" The two exclaimed.

Piper laughed and stood up. Amy had picked out an outfit that looked amazing on her. It was a black skirt, short enough to show off almost all of her legs. A tight black capped sleeved top with a glittery red Playboy bunny and was just the right length to show off her belly button. Piper slid on a pair of black shoes that Trish called the 'Pamela Anderson' shoes. She pulled her hair up in a simple ponytail, letting the end cascade down her back. Piper smiled, twirling around.

" What do y'all think?" She asked.

" Very cute," Trish exclaimed. " That skirt looks great on you girl."

" We're gonna hafta doll you up more than this for your first date...whenever it'll be." Amy smiled.

" Yeah. Are we ready? I don't know how long I can last in Trish's 'Pamela Anderson' shoes." Piper said.

The three laughed and walked out of the room. They rode the elevator down to the lobby and walked out to the parking lot. They climbed into Amy's rental car and drove off towards the club. As they rode, Amy cranked up the radio and "Poem" by Taproot started to play. Trish laughed as Amy and Piper sang and head banged to the song in the front seats. They finally arrived at the club and jumped out of Amy's car. They walked to the entrance of the club, waiting in the line to get in. Once they got to the front, they flashed their IDs and walked in, linking arms.

" Where is everybody?" Trish asked.

" Over there," Amy pointed. " Come on, I'll show ya'll."

Amy, Piper, and Trish walked through the crowd of people, grabbing onto each other's hands so they wouldn't get lost. Once they made it though the crowd of people, Amy ran up to a guy she saw, a blonde guy with braids. Amy ran up to him and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

" CHRISTIAN YORK!" She squealed.

" Amy," He yelled. " Hey girl! How are you?"

" I'm awesome! How are you? Where's Joey at?"

" Over there dancing with some chick," Christian pointed. " I swear he's danced with five different girls tonight."

Amy laughed, jumping off of Christian's back. " Hey, lemme introduce you to my girls," She smiled. " This is Piper Levesque, and this is Patricia Stratigias."

" Call me Trish," She said. " Nice to meet you."

" Nice to meet you too," Christian looked at Piper, smiling waywardly. " Nice to meet you as well. Christian York."

Christian took Piper's hand and kissed the top of it. Amy covered her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles. Ultimately she failed and burst into a fit of laughter.

" Christian! You are so pathetic! Stop trying to be a ladies man! You're bad at it!" Amy squealed.

Christian dropped Piper's hand, giving Amy an offended look. " Who said I was a ladies man?"

" Ugh! She's taken you idiot! Did you braid your hair too tight? Or have you landed wrong on that damn Onion Buster too many times?"

Christian pouted. " I have not." 

" Sorry Christian I'm not available," Piper said. " Have you seen Jeff?"

" Yeah, he's sitting over there with Shannon," Christian pointed. " They've been there forever."

Piper smiled. " Thanks."

Piper smiled again and walked over to the booth Jeff and Shannon were sitting in. Piper sat down on Jeff's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

" Oh! Hey playmate," Jeff exclaimed. " I've been waiting for ya."

" Amy and Trish were fussing over my outfit. It took forever. I met your friend Christian over there. He tried being all suave with me," Piper laughed. " Amy shot him down him though."

" Ah that's York for ya." Shannon laughed.

" Wanna go dance baby?" Jeff whispered in Piper's ear.

" Yeah." Piper responded with a sweet smile.

Jeff grinned at Shannon over Piper's shoulder and they got up, walking away from the booth. The walked out onto the dance floor and found a place that was almost completely in the dark of the club. "Southern Hospitality" by Ludacris had started playing when they got out there. The two went on grinding on the dance floor, unaware of their friends watching them.

" Who's the chick with Jeff? Damn she's a hottie." A dark haired guy asked Amy.

" Too late Joey, Christian already hit on her. That's his girlfriend Piper so neither of you losers have a chance anyhow."

" Damn Amy! Break it to 'em easy." Matt said.

" Plus Joey, you've danced with at _least_ five different girls tonight already! Damn dude pick one!" Christian said.

Joey blushed. " Do you _know _how hard that is?"

" They're cute together," Trish input. " But they've got a lot of problems."

" Sure as hell don't look like it!" Christian said.

" They do. Trust us." Amy said in a serious tone.

Joey put his hands up. " Okay, I trust."

Back over in the part of the club Jeff and Piper were dancing. The two were embraced tightly, dancing in a completely wicked way. Piper had one leg wrapped around Jeff's waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. Jeff had his arms tightly around her waist and his forehead pressed against Piper's, staring into her eyes, deep emerald green just as his. Piper pushed the back of Jeff's head towards hers and kissed his lips passionately. Jeff took a short step forward, and stumbled over something on the floor. Jeff tripped slightly and the two bumped into the wall. Jeff released Piper's lips and gently pushed her leg down. Piper smiled mischievously and pecked Jeff on the lips.

" I know you just got here, but you wanna go?" Jeff asked, breathing on her ear.

" Yeah...let's go." Piper agreed.

Piper and Jeff walked from their corner hand in hand and went back to the table.

" Hey guys, we're gonna split. Shan can you catch a ride with Joey and Christian?"

" Yeah sure."

" Cool. Later guys."

Jeff grabbed Piper's hand and they walked from the club. The two jumped into Jeff's rental car and drove off back towards the hotel. Jeff looked over at Piper and smiled. She giggled a bit and smiled back at him. They rode back to the hotel in a comfortable silence and when they finally arrived, safely made their way to Jeff's hotel room. Piper sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, laughing as Jeff fiddled with the small radio in the room. She got up and walked over to Jeff, picking up the power cord and plugging it into the wall socket. Jeff pouted and turned the radio on, letting the station play. Jeff and Piper both sat down on the bed, she looked into his eyes with a bright smile on her face. Jeff returned it and tenderly kissed her lips. Jeff and Piper ended up in another passionate make-out session, falling back onto the bed.

" Next up, by request, John Mayer with "Your Body Is A Wonderland"." The radio DJ said.

" Ain't that right." Jeff murmured against Piper's mouth.

Piper giggled and returned Jeff's kisses eagerly as that song began to play.

__

/We got the afternoon

You got this room for two

One thing I've left to do

Discover me

Discovering you

One mile to every inch of

Your skin like porcelain

One pair of candy lips and

Your bubblegum tongue

'Cause if you want love

We'll make it

Swimming a deep sea

Of blankets

Take all your big plans

And break 'em

This is bound to be a while

Your body Is a wonderland

Your body is a wonder (I'll use my hands)

Your body Is a wonderland

Something 'bout the way the hair falls in your face

I love the shape you take when crawling towards the pillowcase

You tell me where to go and

Though I might leave to find it

I'll never let your head hit the bed

Without my hand behind it

You want love?

We'll make it

Swimming a deep sea

Of blankets

Take all your big plans

And break 'em

This is bound to be a while

Your body Is a wonderland

Your body is a wonder (I'll use my hands)

Your body Is a wonderland

Damn baby

You frustrate me

I know you're mine all mine all mine

But you look so good it hurts sometimes

Your body Is a wonderland

Your body is a wonder (I'll use my hands)

Your body Is a wonderland

Your body is a wonderland\

Piper wriggled uncomfortably beneath Jeff. His hand had been continually creeping up her thigh and it was starting to bother her. The higher his hand went, the more she tried to wiggle away. 

" Jeff," Piper mumbled against his kisses. " Jeff...stop...Jeff," Piper pushed Jeff away. " Stop!"

" What? What did I do wrong?"

" Don't do that."  
" Do what?" Jeff asked in an exasperated tone.

Piper jumped up. " Don't get angry with me," She exclaimed. " Your hands! You know what you were doing and I didn't like it. I'm sorry Jeff but it's uncomfortable to me."

Jeff sat up. " Okay I understand..."  
" No! No you don't! I know you probably didn't mean anything by it, but you know what everything leads too and you know my values."

" I didn't mean anything, Piper calm down! I'm sorry if I offended you by touching you, I didn't mean to do that." Jeff said.

" Look...Jeff I think I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow."  
Jeff jumped up as Piper walked towards the door. " Piper stop. Don't leave here angry with me please. Stop." Jeff gently grabbed her arm.

" Jeff I'm not angry with you okay. I...I just wanna go okay."

Jeff sighed. " I love you baby."

Piper smiled weakly at Jeff and mumbled 'I love you' back and left the room. Piper sighed and walked down the hall, arriving back at the room she was sharing with Amy. She opened the door and sat down on her bed, putting her head in her hands. She wasn't angry with Jeff...just upset that he opted to do something he knew she didn't like. Piper got up and took a shower, changing for bed. She didn't feel like waiting up for Amy to come back and went right to sleep. Piper woke up the next morning from one of the strangest dreams she'd ever had. She had been locked in a room, no lights, no windows, and it seemed like no door. Until what seemed like a part of the wall had opened up, but that was the door. Jeff was thrown in with her. He looked deathly, pale skin, red eyes, cuts and bruises all over him. He didn't speak, and didn't move from the spot he was thrown in. He sat there, blindly staring a hole in Piper's forehead. Jeff didn't blink, didn't move, and seemingly didn't breathe. Piper crawled over to him, looking at his face, touching his cheeks and kissing him. He didn't respond. She looked into this eyes, they weren't green anymore, they were gray, pale gray. Piper had kissed his lips again and he responded not. She had begun to cry and he didn't move. Not trying to soothe her, not touching her or anything. She shook him. Nothing. Pushed him. Nothing. Piper jumped to her feet, banging on the walls of the room, screaming hysterically. The space in the wall opened again and a bright white light flooded in, but then she woke up. Piper sat still on her bed, still wrapped up in the sheets, staring dazedly at the wall. A few moments later Amy woke up and looked over at her.

" Hey. Piper. What's wrong babe?" Amy asked.

" N...Nothing." Piper said distantly.

Amy got up and sat on Piper's bed, wrapping an arm around her. " What's wrong? Come on sweetie, you can tell me."

" Jeff and I got into a little fight last night, that's all. I was in his room and we were kissing and he was touching me and I told him to stop cos he knows my values and...it just upset me cos he chose to do that and he knows I'm uncomfortable with it."  
" Aw Piper. Jeff was just thinking with all that pent up sexual energy he's got," Amy laughed. " You two were all over each other in the club and I guess he just went with it. He loves you honey, don't be angry with him."

" I know he loves me, he tells me all the time. I love him too, but it just upset me that's all." Piper said.

Amy hugged Piper and put her head on her shoulder. " It's alright. Don't worry about it. Jeff hasn't been with a girl in I don't even wanna know how long. He loves you to pieces and he just wants another way to show you that."

" Thanks Amy. What would I do without you babe."

" I'm sure you'd do plenty, just you wouldn't have someone to come and vent to," Amy joked. " Why don't you go talk to him, smooth things out."

Piper got up and nodded, hugging Amy tightly. She walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. She put on a pair of baggy red bungee pants and a tight white tank top. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and left the room, pocketing her keycard on the way. Piper walked down the hall on her way down the hall. As she was on her way she felt a had tightly grab her arm. Piper spun around and came face to face with her brother.  
" Where are you off to?" He asked.

" Nowhere," Piper said. " Just taking a walk."

" Come with me, I have something for you."

" It won't be painful will it?" Piper asked, slightly glaring at Paul.

" No."  
" Paul there was a purpose to my walk." Piper said.

" Take a detour. This is important."

" How important?" Piper argued.

" Very. Come on."

Paul pulled Piper by the arm and to the end of the hall. He walked into the room and came back with a long box in his hand.

" Paul. My birthday isn't for two weeks." Piper said.

" I know that. But I picked it up early and I knew you'd like it so I just wanted to give it to you early."

" Paul! Thank you!"  
Piper squealed happily and opened the box and it revealed a silver bracelet with star, heart, and shooting start charms on it. Piper gasped and threw her arms around Paul's neck.

" PAUL! It's gorgeous! Thank you so much!"

" Yeah, yeah, I knew you'd like it," Paul said. " Now get outta here."

Paul rumpled Piper's hair and walked back into his room. Piper smiled to herself, it was a relief to see her brother being so jovial with her for once. But who knew how long that would last. Piper sighed and walked down to the other end of the hall and took a deep breath before knocking gently on the door. Piper stood against the door frame lightly, fiddling with her new bracelet as she awaited Jeff to answer the door. A moment later, Jeff opened the door, he gave a slight smile and invited Piper in.

" Hey. You pissed at me?" Jeff asked her.

" No. I was just upset last night about it. That's all."

" I still don't understand why you got upset with me baby," Jeff said, holding onto both her hands. " I'm sorry for making you upset honey. But you gotta understand I don't know what made you so mad."

" I wasn't mad. I was...disappointed. I didn't understand why you opted to go ahead and touch me like that and you know I'm uncomfortable with it."

" Oh. I'm so sorry darlin. I apologize. I love you, I'm sorry. " Jeff said, lowering his head slightly.

Piper kissed Jeff on the nose. " Apology accepted. I love you too Jeffy."

Jeff kissed Piper on the forehead. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her closely. Piper cuddled up close to Jeff and snuggled her head against his shoulder and Jeff gently set his head on top of hers. Piper gently breathed in Jeff's cologne. She placed a little kiss on the front of his neck and looked at him. Jeff smiled and wrinkled his nose in a childish way and pecked her on the lips. Piper giggled slightly and stood up.

" I gotta go. I'm going shopping with Aimes and Trish."

" Alright baby. I love you so much."

" I love you too Jeff."

The couple kissed once more and Piper turned to leave when Jeff spotted something glimmering around her wrist.

" Hey. Where'd you get the bracelet?"

" Oh. Paul gave it to me for my early birthday present," Piper smiled. " I really love it."

" That was nice of him," Jeff said. " It's beautiful."

" Yeah. It's the nicest thing Paul's done for me since I've been here."

" That's cool. Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday soon?"

" Two weeks. And you didn't ask."

" I had to," Jeff laughed questioningly, grabbing Piper's waist. " You're my girl. You coulda told me."

" I know your birthday.'

" How?"

" Little birdie." Piper giggled.

" Amy...I see. When exactly is it?" Jeff asked.

" Halloween." Piper smiled.

" Are you serious?"  
" Yeah. I'm turning twenty three." 

" Well! I'm gonna hafta get you something real nice."

" Oh Jeff, don't waste a lot of money on me. Don't get me something huge. Promise?"

" I can't make that promise. I don't like lying to my girlfriends. I don't know what I'll get you yet."

" Jeff don't get me anything big! I don't need anything big. I love you. I don't need big presents from you. You're the best present I'll ever have." Piper said, hugging Jeff tightly.

" Aw sweetie. I'll find something for you, big or small, I can't promise you that I won't get you something big. If it catches my eye, and I think you'll like it. I may just buy it on impulse. Okay with that?"

" Yeah. That's fine Jeff."

" Alright. Now git! Amy hates to wait when it comes to shopping."

*later*

Piper and Amy and Trish came back from the mall, arms full of bags. They all met up in Amy and Piper's room to sort out their things. Once again, Amy and Piper pulled Trish into Hot Topic and Trish helped Piper pick out another outfit. It was a pair of black pants with "bondage" straps on the back and an Incubus T-shirt.

" Hey Piper, why don't you try on that outfit Trish got ya from Forever 21," Amy laughed. " It should fit. Right?"

" Yeah yeah," Piper said, snatching the bag from Trish. " You better be glad I'm actually trying this on."

Trish laughed. " Just go!"

Piper walked into the bathroom, pulling out the bags contents. A denim miniskirt and a yellow capped sleeved shirt with a tie on the front that gathered at her chest. spun a bit and took her hair down, looking in the mirror. She liked the outfit, it gave her a different look, that she'd never tried before.

" Too cute," Trish exclaimed. " That's gorgeous on you girl."

" Y'all think?" Piper asked.

" Hell yeah girl. You look so great." Amy said.

Trish giggled. " I'm gonna go get Jeff. He has to see this."

" No! Don't you dare! He may just die if he sees me like this! And that wouldn't be a good thing."

" Oh come on! I think he'd like it!" Amy said.

" Yeah. I think he would too," Trish said, walking out the door. " I'll be right back."

" Aimes," Piper whined. " What if he hates it?"

" He won't have it babe. He's gonna love it."

A few minutes later Trish came back knocking on the door. Amy and Piper could hear Jeff complaining in the background. Amy shooed Piper into the bathroom and opened the door.

" Why did you bring me here? I don't wanna watch you girls sift through clothes." Jeff said.

" Oh shut up Jeff," Amy said. " We wanna show you something."

" Where's Piper?" Jeff asked

" She's in the bathroom," Amy said, knocking on the door. " Hey Piper, you done?"

" Yeah, hang on one sec."

Piper took a deep breath and raked her fingers through her hair a few times before walking out. Piper stepped out into the room and smiled weakly at Jeff. His eyes got wide and he beamed at her.

" Wow Piper...you look really awesome." Jeff said.

" You like it?"

" Yeah! I really do."

Piper blushed a bit. " Thanks."

" No need for it. You look great." Jeff smiled, kissing Piper gently.

" Aw! How cute!" Amy giggled.

" Yeah, why don't you two go somewhere. It's not like we've got anything to do tonight. The event got cancelled." Trish said.

" Why?" Piper asked.

" The roof of the arena started leaking or something and the pipes blew, bad plumbing, the place basically broke down." Trish explained.

" Whoa. Weird," Jeff said. " You wanna go somewhere?"

" Yeah...as long as we aren't caught I guess," Piper smiled. " But can you give me a few minutes? I promised these two yesterday they could fuss over me on our first date."


	8. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 8

Piper ran down the hall after coming from her date with Jeff. She knocked on Stephanie's door and danced around, waiting for Stephanie to answer. Piper knocked again and tapped her foot. Finally Stephanie came to the door, a sleepy look in her eyes. Piper beamed and Stephanie gave her an annoyed look.

" Piper Nadia Levesque it is 2 in the morning. What the hell are you doing here?" Stephanie asked.

" Are you alone?" Piper asked.

" Yes why?"

" I have to talk to you."

" Can it wait?"

" No! I'm bursting Steph!" Piper exclaimed.

" Alright!"  
Stephanie opened the door wide and let Piper in. She turned on the light and sat down. Piper sat on the adjacent bed and smiled.

" Steph! This is so great! Guess where I just got back from!"

" Where?"  
" A date with Jeff!"

" Seriously?"

" I wouldn't be here if I wasn't serious." Piper said.

" So that's why you're all dressed up. You look cute."

Piper smiled. " Thanks."

" What'd you do? Where'd you go? Tell me!" Stephanie exclaimed.

" Well. First he took me to the movies. Then we went and got ice cream and walked around for a bit and we sat and talked for a while and it was just a really sweet date. Jeff's such a sweetheart He's amazing." Piper said with a dreamy glimmer in her eyes.

Stephanie smiled. " That's sweet. You didn't get caught did you?"

" Nope! We were totally safe...and careful."

" That's good. So you had fun. Yes?"

" Oh definitely! That date was 100% better then my one with Chris. Jeff is a hell of a lot more romantic than Chris." Piper said.

" I'm sure he is," Stephanie yawned. " Listen I'm exhausted. I need some sleep; I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

" Okay. Later Steph."

*next day*

" Okay Piper, tell me what happened!" Amy gushed.

" We went to the movies, then he took me for ice cream, we walked around for a bit and after that, it was pretty much all talk. It was fun and Jeff was so sweet. It was probably the best date I've ever had. Regardless of the fact that we got back to the hotel at 2am."

Amy smiled. " That's so cute. Now you gotta tell Trish, you _know _she's gonna wanna know."

" Yeah I'll catch up to her later."

" Hey. Did Jeff give you that?" Amy asked, pointing at Piper's bracelet.

" No actually. It was the nice thing Paul did for me for the year. My birthday is coming up soon and he bought it for me."

" That's awesome! When's your birthday?"

" Halloween."

" NO WAY! You have to come to the Halloween party! It's gonna be at Jeff's house. We planned it not too long ago." Amy said.

" Cool! Are we going Trick or Treating?" Piper exclaimed.

" Knowing Jeff, probably."

" COOL! I wanna dress up as a devil! Or maybe a cat..." Piper laughed.

" You should be a playboy bunny." Amy joked.

" Yeah and freeze my ass off dressed like that. Hell no!"

Amy laughed. " Yeah I know. We can dress as twin something's."

" Yeah," Piper smiled. "It would be fun if we did that."

" We're gonna kill the boys. They're gonna freak out."

" Who's gonna be there?" Piper asked.

" The regulars. Joey & Christian are coming from Virginia. Jeff of course, Matt, Shane, Shannon, Adam, Jay, Me, Trish, the guys in Peroxwhy?gen, and a couple of my friends from D.C. and Shannon's brother." Amy said.  
" That's a herd. Jeff better have a big house."

" It's big enough."

Piper smiled. " Cool. That's be fun. I'll be back in a bit I gotta get wardrobe."

"Alright. Later girl."

Piper smiled at Amy and walked out of the room. She went down the corridor and slipped into the wardrobe room where she coincidentally ran into Trish. Piper grinned mischievously at her and went to pick up her outfit.

" Okay Cheshire cat, what are you grinning at?"

" Nothing," Piper giggled. " I'm just picking up my outfit that's all."

Trish laughed. " Sure, in all innocence. So how was your date last night?"

" I knew I couldn't keep it from you long girl," Piper laughed. " It was fun. We went to the movies, got ice cream, walked, talked, it was really sweet."

" Aw! That's adorable! You and Jeff are so meant to be together," Trish smiled. " So what are you up to wrestling wise tonight?"  
" I'm wrestling Chris."

" Chris Jericho?"

" Duh dear. What other Chris is there on RAW?"

" Girl you be careful!"

" I will. Plus, I can take out Y2J, no problem." Piper said, putting her hands on her hips.

" I know but still, watch yourself. Promise?" Trish said, a concerned look in her eyes.

" Promise." Piper said.

" Good. I'll see ya later then."

" Later Trish."

Trish and Piper hugged as Trish left the room. Piper sat her outfit down on the bench and picked up a piece at a time. It had a red fishnet shirt and a black bra top and a pair of black pants with red "bondage" straps connected to little hooks on the back of the legs. Piper smiled and went to the Diva's lockeroom to change. Shortly after she did, she was informed that she would be doing her first backstage promo with Jeff. Piper left the room and checked her wrist, making sure the bracelet Paul had given her was clasped there tightly. Piper twisted it gently and headed towards the men's lockeroom. Piper took in a deep breath and rapped lightly on the door. A short moment later it was opened by none other than "HBK" Shawn Michaels himself.

" Hey Legs. What are you doing 'round here?"

" I came looking for Jeff. We have a promo to do."

" Oh okay, I think I saw him in here," Shawn stuck his head in the door and called out. " Hey Hardy, there's a pretty girl out here looking for your blue haired ass."

" Alright I'm coming." Jeff said as Shawn went back inside.

Piper blushed a million shades of red from what Shawn said as Jeff walked out the door. Jeff smiled and stuck his head back in the door.

" Hey Michaels! I thought you said _pretty girl_. This woman is gorgeous!"

Piper blushed. " Jeff!" 

" What? Isn't a guy allowed to tell his girlfriend she's scorching?"

Jeff picked Piper up and twirled her around in the air. Piper squealed and playfully smacked Jeff's shoulder repeatedly.

" Jeff you're making me dizzy! Let me down!"

Jeff set Piper back on her feet and kissed her soundly on the lips. " I love you."

" I love you too Jeff, but what have you been snorting?! Have you gone mad?" Piper exclaimed.

" I haven't been snorting anything, I'll get in trouble for that," Jeff laughed. " And, no, I haven't gone mad. I just love you."

" I love you too, but with Paul lurking around, you dare show affection like that. I admire you Jeffery...Hardy."

" Nero."

" What?"

" Nero. My middle name, that's what you were looking for, right?"

" Yeah. Jeffery Nero Hardy!"

Jeff laughed. " Okay, I know, I gotta calm down on the affection. Sorry honey."

" It's alright Jeffro. Look, I came to get you cos we have a promo to do."

" Nice. Is this the hook up promo?" Jeff asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

" Dunno. May be after my match or sometime later. I'm not sure."

" Okay. Let's get going, or do you want me to paint you again?"

" Uh...go ahead with the paint. Maybe we can do the promo there."

" Probably."

Jeff and Piper walked from the Men's lockeroom and down the hall a bit to where Jeff usually kept his paints. A stagehand came up to the pair, informing them that Terri would interview them from there. Jeff pulled out the paint and his brush and started drawing little designs in Piper's cheeks. After a moment or two, a cameraman and Terri with her mic came around and the tape started rolling.

********************************************************************************

" Piper, Jeff. Would you mind if I interrupted for a moment?"

" No, not at all Terri." Piper said.

" Well, Piper, tonight you have a huge math against Chris Jericho, he's been quite the thorn in your side as of late."

" Jericho is nothing but a loud mouthed pain in the neck. He was just begging for an ass kicking and tonight I plan to give it to him." 

" Jeff, any comments?" Terri asked.

" Piper's a tough girl, I know she can take care of herself in the ring but if she needs any help, I'm there to help her."

" But that's where you're wrong Jeff." A voice said.  
Piper and Jeff both turned around to see RAW GM, Eric Bischoff, that hated trademark smirk across his face.

" What are you talking about Bischoff?" Jeff asked.

" You and Christian are both barred from ringside. If either partner interferes, their teammate will be disqualified."

Jeff made a move to get in Bischoff's face but Piper put a hand on his chest. " No Jeff. Don't worry. I can take Jericho."

Jeff nodded and Bischoff walked away. " I don't trust him Piper."

" Nobody trusts Bischoff but that ass kisser Morley. Don't worry about me Jeff, Jericho won't be a big deal."

Piper patted Jeff on the shoulder and started to walk away but Jeff grabbed her arm and spun her around. Jeff laid a tiny kiss on her lips. Piper stepped back slightly and Jeff gave a little smile.

" It was the only open space, wouldn't wanna swallow that paint eh? Good luck out there, take him out shorty." Jeff laughed and walked backwards down the hall, flashing the gunz at Piper.

Piper grinned as RAW faded into a commercial. When the program came back, "Enth E Nd" by Linkin Park hits and lime colored sparks erupted from the stage as Piper came out from behind the curtain. The crowd cheered insanely as Piper walked down the ramp. She smiled and slid into the ring under the bottom rope. She posed on the turnbuckles in front of the fans. The lights go out and Jericho's countdown starts up. The pyro blast and Jericho appears on the ramp. He smirks and walks down the ramp. Piper stands against the opposite side of the ring as Jericho makes his entrance. Piper rolled her eyes as Jericho paraded about the ring. She walked to the middle of the ring and got in Jericho's face. He pushed her away and continued to showboat but Piper got up and clotheslined Jericho from behind. Jericho stumbled but turned around to be met by a powerful right hand from Piper. Jericho fell to the mat and rolled out of the ring. Piper stood on the bottom rope and yelled over the top for Chris to get back into the ring. The ref started to count for the count out but Piper rolled out of the ring and grabbed Jericho by his hair. Jericho broke free and whipped Piper into the steel stairs. Piper landed against the stairs with a loud crash and writhed in pain. Jericho picked her up and rolled her back into the ring, going for a pin but Piper kicked out after 1. Jericho pulled Piper up from the mat and suplexed her. Piper crawled up to her knees and Jericho picked her up to her feet, driving his knee into her stomach. Piper crashed to her knees again, holding her stomach. Jericho picks her up yet again but Piper pulls Jericho's legs from under him and he falls on his back. Piper flips over into a bridge but Jericho kicks out after two. Piper stomps on Jericho and performs a standing moonsault. Piper goes for another pin and Jericho kicks out again. Piper grabbed Jericho and kicked him in the stomach, she hit him with a few forearms to the head and gave him a DDT. Piper climbed the turnbuckles and hit a diving moonsault on Jericho, going for another cover but Jericho kicks out after 2. Piper gets up and climbs the turnbuckles again and waits for Jericho to get up. As he does, Piper dives off the top and attempts a hurricanrana but Jericho catches her and gives her a hard powerbomb to the mat. Piper writhed in pain and Jericho went for a cocky pin, putting his boot on her chest. Piper kicks out easily and climbs to her knees, hitting Jericho in the stomach with a fist. Piper hooked Jericho up and gave him a fisherman's suplex. She floated into the cover and Jericho kicked out again. Both competitors got to their feet but Jericho took control and kicked Piper in the stomach, he delivered a snap suplex and picked her up giving her another. Jericho dropped a knee into Piper's midsection. Piper groaned loudly, clutching her stomach. Jericho picked Piper up again and whipped her across the ring, burying his knee into her stomach as she came back. Piper hit the mat with a thud, groaning loudly. Piper got up to one knee, and Jericho grabbed her by her long black hair giving her a snapmare. Jericho applied a rear chin-lock and wore Piper down to the mat, screaming inaudible words at her. The ref picked up her arm and it fell once. He lifted it again, and it fell. The third time, Piper pulled her arm up before it fell again. The crowd cheered for Piper as she fought her way out of the hold. Piper hit Jericho with a few elbows in the stomach but Jericho clotheslined her in the back. Jericho yelled something at the crowd started to do his little shuffle thing. Piper slowly made it to her feet and Jericho grabbed her legs, sending her to her back and applied the Walls Of Jericho. Piper yelled as Jericho cinched the move in tightly. Piper crawled towards the bottom rope but Jericho pulled her back to the middle of the ring, sitting back on the hold more. Piper tried to crawl again but Jericho kept pulling her back. Piper finally brought her hand down against the mat to tap out but Jericho refused to release the hold. Piper slammed her hand against the mat repeatedly but Jericho still refused to let go. The referees attempted to pull him off but Jericho held on. Eventually Jericho dropped the hold and left Piper in the ring, struggling to her feet.

*********************************************************************************

Piper got backstage, holding her back in pain. She walked down to the Diva's lockeroom and sat down on the bench next to Lisa Marie (Victoria for the unsure), Trish, Nora, and Amy.

" Hey girl, nice match." Amy joked.

" Woulda been better if I won."

" Ya win some ya loose some, you'll get back at him soon." Lisa Marie said.

Trish smiled evilly and leaned over and whispered in my ear. " Maybe you can get Jeff to massage the kinks outta your back for ya."

I laughed. " Yeah I wish!"

" What? What'd you say!?" Nora exclaimed with a laugh.

Trish laughed and put her arm around Piper's shoulders, giving her a little squeeze. " I just said maybe she should invest in going to see Jeff and get herself a back rub."

Amy giggled. " You would love it! I've been on the receiving end of one of Jeff's massages, after I hurt my neck. He's good at it."

" I wish I could. But since Paul has that stick so far up his ass, I can't."

" Fuck Paul," Lisa Marie exclaimed. " It's your man! Go hang with him!"

" If it were only that easy Lisa. I dunno what I'll do...maybe I'll go and see Stephanie. I dunno."

" Here's an idea," Amy said, digging out her cell phone. " I'll ring Jeff an you guys can meet somewhere near an exit or something and y'all can go ahead and leave. Whatever."

" Amy, you are like the sister I never had and wanted to give Paul up for."

Amy smiled. " I'm loved! Look, you change, and the four of us will stir up a little trouble and you can go hang with Jeff."

Piper smiled as all five divas came into a group hug. " Thanks girls!"

She hugged them all individually and went to her bag, pulling out a pair of orange track pants and a red midriff shirt with silver flames on it. Piper grinned and ran to the bathroom to change. She came back and slid on her red and white Vans and plopped back down next to Lisa Marie.

" Okay, I talked to Jeff and he said to meet him at that really far back exit. And you two can escape," Amy laughed. " He said he'd be there in a little bit."

" Cool, then I got a little time to get my stuff together."

" Question for ya Piper. How long have you and Jeff actually been dating?" Trish asked.

" Uhm...probably about 2 months I believe," Piper replied. " But for some reason, his friends always keep hitting on me."

" That's just that idiot Christian. He's a pathetic wannabe Ladies Man," Amy said. " I swear he's only had one girlfriend in his entire life and that was ages ago. Christian is a loser, but he's a sweetie."

" Amy you're such a freak! First you call him pathetic then you rag on him for only having one girlfriend ever and then you call him a loser but he's still a sweetie? Amy you weirdo!" Piper exclaimed.

" I'm just joking. Christian is great," Amy laughed. " Now you better get outta here before you miss Jeff!"

Piper grinned and picked up her stuff, walking out of the Divas lockeroom. She walked to the back entrance of the arena and spotted Jeff sitting down on his suitcase, gently head banging to the music on his headsets. Piper walked up to him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. Jeff looked down and smiled, hanging his headsets around his neck and put his arms around her upper body gently and rubbed his hand up and down her back and kissed her hair.

" Good match sweetie."

" Thanks."

" You sore?"

" A bit. Amy says you give good massages."

" I've been told so. Would you like one?"

" Yes please." Piper smiled, batting her eyelashes jokingly.

" Come on, let's go then. No good can come of us getting caught."

Piper smiled as Jeff grabbed up both of their bags and they left the arena. Jeff threw their stuff into the trunk of his rental car and opened the passenger side door for her. Piper smiled up at Jeff and got into the car. Jeff turned on the radio and let Piper fiddle with the stations a bit. She came to a station that was playing Incubus and stopped, listening to, "Drive" play out of the radio.

" Incubus? You gotta be kidding!" Jeff exclaimed, reaching over to change the station.

Piper smacked Jeff's hand. "Get off! I love Incubus!"

" If I didn't love you, it'd be gone." Jeff pouted.

" Shush up Jeffery. You'll learn to like them if I'm around."

" I never said I didn't like Incubus. I just don't like this song."

" How can you not like "Drive"? It's one of their best songs! Next to "Redefine" though. The entire S.C.I.E.N.C.E. CD is great."

" I know. I have it." Jeff said.

" I don't see how you don't like this song." Piper said, shaking her head.

" It's overplayed," Jeff shrugged. " I've heard it so much. If I don't hear it for a while, then I hear it again, I'll probably say something else. But I've heard this song, at least 50 times this week."

" You're exaggerating."

" I am not! I swear! This one station in Texas plays it like ever hour on the hour!"

" Liar! I want that station!"

Jeff laughed. " You're too into this song Piper. I gotta get you into Pearl Jam or something."

" I like Pearl Jam."

" Not like I do I bet. Well Matt and I. I couldn't tell you how many copies of each CD I've collected. T-shirts, and all that stuff. I've got a lot of Pearl Jam Memorabilia."

" I've heard."

Jeff nodded. " Anyhow. ...Hmm...I got nothing conversational to say."

Piper laughed. " Me either."

" I love you." Jeff said suddenly.

" Love you too." Piper said.

" Ya know. I love how we can do that."  
" Do what?"

" Just pull the random I love you's out at any time."

Piper laughed. " Yeah. That is pretty great."

" When do ya think we'll get back to the Carolina's again?" Jeff asked.

" No clue. Obviously no time soon."

" That sucks. I wanna see my animals, I miss 'em." Jeff pouted.

" What animals do you have baby?"

" I have a boxer dog named Liger. I have a prairie dog named Witty and a raccoon named Imagi."

" A raccoon Jeff? You've lost your marbles boy!"

" I haven't! Imagi is great! It's not like he's got diseases or anything."

" You're strange babe. Very strange."

" Thanks. You're not exactly normal yourself."

" I know. I Try."

" That's my girl," Jeff said, a puzzled look appearing on his face. " Did I just pass the hotel?"

" Yeah, I think you did."

" Dammit," Jeff sighed. " Hang on, taking a U-turn."

" You drive like a psychopath don't you?"

" No. Just mildly insane."

Piper rolled her eyes jokingly and laughed as Jeff went ahead and ahead and took his U-turn. Jeff did drive like a psychopath, forget that "mildly insane" bullshit. They pulled into the hotel parking lot and gathered their things and checked into the hotel. They went up to the third floor and took off towards the room.

" Ah young and in love. You kids better be careful. Paul's gonna be _lurking_ when he gets here. A certain someone said to him where you went Legs. "She left. With Jeff I think" I reckon you're in a bit of trouble m'dear."

" Shawn. Don't you have somewhere to be rather than patronizing me?"

" I could. But this is just easier."

" Shawn," Piper growled. " What the hell do you want? If you don't have anything worth hearing then **go away**. I'd like to spend some time with Jeff."

" Okay. Okay. You may wanna hear this, Jericho opened up his big mouth again and told Paul you left with Hardy here."

Piper heaved a sigh. " Am I _never _going to get my chance alone with him?"

" Sure you will, just don't know when. Just be careful eh Legs?"  
" Yeah...Thanks Shawn."

" Anytime. Later kids."

Piper rolled her eyes as Shawn walked away. She laid her head on Jeff's shoulder and he patted her on the back.

" Don't worry about it. We'll be careful." Jeff said, kissing Piper's hair.

Piper nodded and wrapped her arm around Jeff's waist as they went into Jeff's room. They settled in and Piper sat down on one of the beds and Jeff sat behind her, putting her hair over to one side, beginning to rub her shoulders. Piper turned her head a little bit and Jeff rubbed down her back.

" Hey, lie down for me," Piper nodded and laid down on her stomach on the bed. Jeff tugged at her shirt a bit. " Can we take this off?"

" Yeah..." Piper responded hesitantly.

" You don't have to if you don't want to babe."

Piper thought for a moment. " No...it's okay."

Piper sat up on her knees and pulled her shirt over her head. This was the most of Piper he'd ever seen and he definitely liked it, he'd never seen a woman look so good in black lace and silk.

" Wow. ... Gorgeous." Jeff said.

" ...T...Thanks." Piper stuttered.

" Don't be embarrassed. You're gorgeous. I wish I could see the rest."

" Sorry Jeff."

" Don't apologize. I respect your choices. It's nothing you have to be sorry for."

Piper smiled and lied back down on her stomach. Jeff rubbed her shoulders and back gently, kneeding her skin sweetly, wanting to make her relax as much as possible. Piper sighed a little, wholly enjoying Jeff's massage.

" Y'know Jeff. If you ever retire from wrestling, you should invest in taking up massage therapy."

" Ya think?"  
" Yes! You're hands are great for it. This feels so good. Many compliments."

" Well thank you baby," Jeff said, rubbing his thumbs under her bra strap. " I should give you these more often."

" I wouldn't argue with that." Piper said.

" Do you mind if I undo this? I'll be a good boy, I promise."

" ...I trust you. Go ahead."

" Sure? I don't wanna cross any unspoken barriers."

" You won't be. Just watch were your hands are going." Piper said.

" Promise."

Jeff hesitantly reached down and pulled the clasps from Piper's bra apart and kept on with his massage. After another little while, Jeff concluded his massage. He clasped her bra back together and pulled Piper up into his arms.

" Feel okay?"  
" Yeah, that was great. Thank you honey."

" Not problem."

" I guess I better get going. There was a purpose for getting separate rooms." Piper sighed.

" Yeah. Don't forget your shirt." Jeff said, handing it to her.

" Thanks...I guess I'll see you tomorrow."  
" Definitely. Love you baby."

" I love you too."

Jeff gently stroked Piper's hair and gave her a passionate kiss on the mouth. Piper smiled at him and reached for the door handle. Jeff kissed her once more before she left. As Piper left the room, she ran into a rock solid form in front of her. Piper groaned slightly and looked up to be almost face to face with her brother.

" Piper."  
" Paul! Err...Hi?"

" No. Where have you been?"

" Here...at the hotel."

" Really. Whose room are you leaving?"

" Uh...Mine! I was just going to get a drink."  
" With your bag?"

Piper groaned inwardly. She'd been caught. " Okay...So I lied."

" Right. And Chris told me when and with who you left the arena anyhow."

" Damn him." 

" What did I tell you last time?"

" Can't quite remember."

" Piper don't give me this bullshit!"

" I'm not! I don't rightly remember!" Piper lied, putting on her best naive act.

" Where is he Piper?"

" Who? Shawn? If you're looking for him I saw him when I got here and I think he's on the first floor but I can't be right because he was up here and maybe...this isn't gonna get me anywhere is it?"

" No, it's not. Where Piper?" Paul asked.

" H...I'm not telling you! I don't appreciate you stalking Jeff and I like thi Paul! We'r eboth adults and we live lives of our own!"  
" Piper! I am not kidding around. You know what I sad and you went against it anyhow! Now don't start fucking around," Paul said, pulling Piper away from the door and knocking loudly. " Now I'm gonna find out for myself."  
Piper shifted nervously, hoping that maybe Jeff were in the bathroom and coudln't hear the knocking or maybe listening to his headsets. A moment later, the doorknob began to turn and the door opened. Jeff jumped a bit, coming face to face with Paul. Piper pulled on Paul's arm, almost begging him not to hurt Jeff. Paul pused her off and stalked into the room. Jeff started to bakc up, weary of what Paul may do to him.

" You aren't a very intelligent person are you Hardy? You don't really think I'll fuck you up do you? What the hell did I tell your punk ass about being around Piper?"

" Paul man take it easy! I didn't do anything to her, we just hung out, that's it! Come on man be rational, Piper means a lot ot me dude, I wouldn't hurt her ever man!" Jeff said quickly, still backing himself up against the wall.

Piper went up behind Paul and grabbed onto his arm. " Paul don't hurt him please!"

Paul ignored his sister's request and pushed her away, making her tumble to the floor. Piper got up and ran at Paul again in an attempt to defend her boyfriend but Paul shoved her to the floor, making her hit her head.

" You care about her a lot huh? She means a lot to you huh?"  
Jeff nodded. " Yes."

" Alright. I understand that." Paul said nonchalantly, going to help Piper up.

Once Paul picked Piper up from the ground, he turned back to Jeff and laid a hard fist into his jaw. Jeff screamed and stumbled back, holding his jaw.

" PAUL NO!" Piper yelled.

Nothing Piper could do would stop her brother from making good on his promise to hurt Jeff. Paul pummeled poor Jeff to the ground...literally. Paul laid in a good punch right in Jeff's left eye. Jeff threw his arms up in an attempt to shield his face from anymore punishment but Paul gave him a solid punch in the stomach. Jeff groaned loudly and Piper screamed for him to stop but Paul gave no acknowlegement of her screams. Jeff's right eye had already started to swell terribly, his nose was bleeding and his lip was split open. Piper took off like a shot out the door, looking for the closest person to help Jeff, it just happened to be Mark Calaway.

" MARK! MARK!" Piper screamed.

Mark turned around as Piper came running down the hall towards him. " Hey. What's wrong?"

" I need your help! Paul is beating the holy shit outta Jeff! Help please!"

" Lead the way."

Piper ran down the hall and Mark was right behind her. By the time they got back there Paul was still pummeling Jeff's face in. His right and left eye were already starting to bruise and blood was pouring from his mouth and nose. Mark ripped Paul off of Jeff, but not before he got one last good punch in on Jeff's jaw. Mark threw Paul to the other side of the room and Piper immediately flew to Jeff's side. Piper wrapped her arms around her boyfriend trightly and gently touched his bruised and bloody face.

" PAUL I HATE YOU! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO HIM! LEAVE! DON'T EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN! JUST GO!" Piper said, a mix of anger and sobs in her voice.

" Piper you're coming with me."  
" No. She ain't. Get your sorry ass outta here Paul. Keep on walkin and don't even think about lookin back." Mark said.

Paul made a move to grab at his sister but Mark shoved him the other way and out the door.

" You kids take catre od yourselves understand."  
" Yes. Thank you Mark," Piper said, sniffling softly as Mark left the room, pushing Piper's suitcase back inside. " Jeff..."  
" I'm fine...it only hurts a bit." He whispered, wiping a line of blood from the corner of his mouth.

" Jeff...your eyes...your nose...oh...your lip how can you say it only hurts a bit?" Piper said, gently running her fingers over each body part as she named them.

" Trust me baby, I'm fine."

Piper threw her arms about Jeff's neck and held him. Jeff gave Piper a squeeze, holding her tightly in his arms as her body gently shook with her tears.

" Shh...Piper...I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna be alright sweetie."


	9. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 9

__

Dear Katherine,

Let me paint a picture for you. On one canvas I have a picture of what my family wants for me. Rather, for whom they want me to be with. Clean cut; short haired, dark eyed, and sweater around the neck, khaki pants and loafers. And on the other canvas is what I have and what I want. 6'2" 217 pounds, green eyes, bright red and black hair, glow in the dark body paint, a wife beater, baggy jeans and Adidas. Now Katherine, who do you think I prefer? Definitely canvas 2. Jeff is what I have and Jeff is what I want. Oh, there's a couple little details currently about Jeff that I forgot. Two black eyes and a swollen lip. Why? Because Paul beat the living hell out of him. Just because he couldn't get his way and couldn't keep Jeff away from me. It's quite pathetic that Paul has to be the way he is and expect everything to go his way, but that just isn't going to happen. I love Jeff and nothing Paul can say or do is going to change that. When did this fiasco with Paul and Jeff happen? Yesterday. Thanks to Mark pulling him off of Jeff, it was a mild beating to say the least. After all, it could have been worse than what it was.

Love, Hugs, and Kisses

"Jeff's Gothic Queen" (No I haven't forgotten)

Piper N. Levesque

Piper sighed and got up from the table, going to put her journal away. She looked over to the bed where her boyfriend laid, sleeping...not so soundly. Jeff tossed and turned, mumbling incoherently. A worried look crossed Piper's face and she walked to the bed, crawling onto the covers. Piper rested on hand on Jeff's chest, and stroked his face lightly with the other. Jeff's emerald eyes slowly peaked from behind his trouble, still slightly swollen lids; a slight look of fear twinkled in his eyes as he awoke. Piper kissed her disturbed love's forehead in an attempt to calm him. Jeff blinked painfully, focusing his sight on the vision before him. Piper hovered above him, a look of concern etched in her pretty face. Jeff reached up a hand, gently stroking Piper's face with his thumb.

" I'm okay. It was just a dream."

Piper smiled and cuddled up next to her sweetheart, laying her head on his shoulder.

" I'm glad. How's your eyes?"

" Lefty's alright. Righty ain't so good. I can't open it much wider."

" I'm sorry darlin. Paul's such an asshole. It's not fair."

" I know. But don't worry alright? Your big day is coming up soon."

" Yep, four days!"

" How old will you be dear?"

" Twenty-three."

" Aw! You're a baby," Jeff exclaimed, kissing Piper's cheek. " I'm 25."

" It's not like you're old."

" Older than you."

" Not by much."

" By enough."

" What's this party you guys are having on Halloween?"

" Oh yeah! I talked about it with Shannon and Shane last week. It's so on! It's gonna be at my house at like 4 so we have party time and of course Trick or Treating. But Matt, Shane, Shannon, and me are gonna be at my house setting up all day and y'know, surprises, surprises, so I need you to chill at Aimes' for the day and just stash your stuff in my room when y'all get there."

" I live in Raleigh ya know. But it's like hours away so I'll just stick with staying with Amy."

" Oh don't feel bad, Christian and Joey gotta come down from Fairfax, and Amy's got her friend Christine coming from D.C. too. So there's longer drives."

" Yeah, I see. I hope your house is big enough to hold all those people."

" Well...my house is pretty big. And I've been told I could throw a rave on the land around my house and studio."

" A rave? Goodness how much land do you have?"

" Few acres."

" Wow. Sounds like a nice space."

" It is," Jeff smiled. " People are a little freaked out driving by though. With the motorcross track and volcano in the front yard. Plus the 30 foot tall Aluminummy on the back of the studio. I've got a pretty reflective house. It's weird."

" Yeah. I can't wait to see it." Piper said.

" I can't wait to have you there."

Piper smiled. " This'll finally be our chance to be completely alone."

" Yes. Finally."

Piper sighed and sat up again, crossing her legs Indian style on the bed. Jeff pulled himself up as well and went to rub his eye but stopped, remembering the swelling that was still there. Piper frowned and kissed Jeff on the cheek gently. He ran his fingers through his messy red and black hair and heaved a sigh.

" This sucks."

" I have a solution! My Mom did this to me when I gave myself a black eye as a kid."

" Gave yourself a black eye?"

" Yeah. I was playing with my friends and I slammed into the jungle gym."

" Geez! You clumsy little thing!"

" Yeah tell me about it. Do we have tea bags in this room?"

" Yeah I think...over on that table."

" Good. I hope this coffee maker works. And I need one of your bandanas that you don't mind messing up."

" Okay...what for?"

" You put a hot tea bag on your eye. It helps. Trust me, it opened my eye right up."

" For how long?"

" Err...Probably about 20 minutes."

" Ouch! And it's hot?"

" Yep. Has to be." Piper said, rooting around on the table for the tea bags.

" Uh...I think I'll stick with the black eye."

" Oh don't be a sissy! It won't be that bad."

" You sure?"

" 100% trust me, I did this when I was 5-years-old, it's not that bad."

*Later*

" So, how's it feel? Can you open it wider?" Piper asked, inspecting Jeff's still slightly swollen eye.

" Yeah, it's a lot better than it was." Jeff said.

" Good. I told you it would work."

" Yeah. It feels better too. Thanks baby."

" No problem."

" Hey, I'm gonna go take a shower. I'll be back in a little."

" Okay."

Jeff got up and walked into the bathroom. Piper laid back on the bed and stretched her arms above her head. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed lightly, wishing to herself that things between she and Jeff could be that way all the time. Peaceful and loving. She wished she could be open about her relationship with Jeff. How wonderful it would be just to be able to express her affection towards Jeff openly. Piper wished she could be open and honest instead of having to hide everything from people she'd like to tell. Everything would be so much easier that way and there wouldn't be so much pressure on her, and Jeff as well. Piper could only imagine the things her poor love went through. Obviously constantly having to look over his shoulder and watching what he said for fear of people knowing of his consequences like Chris Irvine listening to what he had to say. And that very man, Chris Irvine had become Piper's worst walking, talking, breathing nightmare. Ever since that beyond bogus date she was forced on, Chris Irvine was one she definitely had to look out for.

" How unfair is this! All I want is a normal relationship!" Piper exclaimed with an exasperated sigh.

" What's wrong baby?" Jeff asked, pushing his wet hair from his forehead.

" Nothing. I'm just frustrated."

" Are you? Why?"

" Why else? Paul."

Jeff sighed. " I'm sorry."

" Don't be Jeff. It's not your fault or mine. It's just the way Paul is."

Jeff kissed Piper on the forehead and walked across the room to his bag, pulling things out and throwing them onto the adjacent bed. Piper smiled and got up from the bed she sat on and walked to Jeff, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his slightly damp shoulder.

" I'm gonna go shower now."

" Alright babe."

--Halloween--

" Amy! I need your help! I know what I'm doing for my costume!"

" OH! Do tell birthday girl!"

" Well, you know Kylie Minogue's video for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"?"

" Yeah."

" You know the white dress, thingy that she wears during the video?"

" You mean the one she barely wears?!" Amy exclaimed.

" Yup."

" You wanna wear that?"

" Why not?"

" You know that requires nothing underneath right?"

" Yeah."

" You're going to be 100% nakkie!"

Piper bit her lip. " ...Yeah."

" Okay we're not dressing alike, but I've got a way we can work that out."

" Really?"

" Oh yeah! I've got this huge, thick white sheet I never used, I'm willing to mess up and totter with for ya."

" That's great! Thanks babe!"

" No problem. Lemme go get it and we'll get started."

Amy got up and rushed up the stairs. A few seconds later, she came rushing back down the stairs, sheet draped over her shoulder. Amy tossed the sheet at Piper and plopped down again.

" Alright crazy. Let's see what we can do." Amy said.

Piper stood up and pulled the sheet randomly around herself.

" Uh...Aimes....I just got confused," Piper laughed. "Hmm...it's kinda like...this?"

Amy laughed. " I think it's more like this..."

Amy took the sheet and draped it over Piper, holding it in a few places. Piper nodded in agreement, looking over it slightly.

" Looks great! I'm loving it!"

" Yeah. I'm gonna go grab a few safety pins. Hold onto the sides. Be right back."

Amy ran back upstairs and came back with both hands full of safety pins, plus her pockets stuffed with them. Piper and Amy worked for a few hours, putting together Piper's costume. The two finished with more than enough time to spare. Amy worked a bit on the rest of her costume before the duo began to get ready. Amy settled into her room to do her make-up and hair as Piper took a quick shower. While Piper was in the shower, Amy wrapped the present she got for her and put it in the car. Piper came back from the bathroom and quickly ran to Amy's guestroom where she'd been staying and did her own hair and make-up. After finishing, Piper put on her custom made Kylie Minogue costume, looking at it in the mirror. She laughed a bit and walked out of the room with her bag. Piper knocked on Amy's door and braced herself for the look on her face when she opened it. Piper knocked again and finally Amy came to the door, dressed in her kitty outfit. Her jaw dropped to the ground when she saw how Piper's costume looked. Amy shook her head and blinked.

" Dayum Piper! The boys are gonna go crazy!"

" Aren't they," Piper laughed. " I can't wait to see the look on Jeff's face."

" Piper, Jeff is gonna freak beyond belief."

" I know, its gonna be like a cartoon and his eyes are gonna bug out of his head and his jaw is gonna hit the ground." Piper laughed.

" I wouldn't put it past him."

" Oh I know! But look at you miss kitty!"

" Aw! You noticed," Amy laughed. " I had such a brain block with what to wear. Anyhow, come on, let's go, the boys await!"

Piper laughed as she and Amy both ran down the stairs and gathered the things they were taking. Piper threw her suitcase in Amy's trunk and they drove off towards Jeff's house.

-------

" Jeff. Dude! What the HELL are you?"

" Me Tarzan! You...what the fuck are you Matthews?"

" He's Silent Bob," Christian said, slapping Joey in the head. " Shut the hell up! Silent Bob! Get it? Silent!"

" And you're Jay?" Jeff laughed.

" Hell yeah," Christian laughed. " Snootch to the nooch."

Jeff shook his head and flopped down onto his couch. " Where's Amy and Piper already? They're late."

" They're chicks!" Shane yelled, only to get hit by Amy's friend Christine.

" And you're saying?"

" Nothing!" Shane squeaked, hurriedly walking away.

" Don't freak out Jeff. I'm sure they'll be here soon." Shannon said, sitting next to his friend.

Jeff shrugged and just as he began to relax there was a series of loud knocks on the front door. Jeff groaned inwardly and hopped from his seat, jogging towards the front door. He threw it open and laughed.

" Aims! Hey cat girl. Where's Piper at?"

" She's coming, she's getting her bag."

Just as Amy finished her sentence Piper came walking up the stairs on Jeff's patio. Amy giggled as she walked into Jeff's house. Jeff's jaw just about his the floor when he saw Piper standing in front of him. Jeff shook his head violently and blinked a few times.

" W...w...wow." Jeff stumbled.

Piper blushed. " Surprised?"

" That ain't even the word for it darlin'," Jeff said, walking inside with Piper. " What possessed you to wear that?"

" I was watching VH1 the other day and it just popped into my head. Amy helped me make it earlier."

" Well, well. Happy birthday baby. And from what I can see, you've got one hell of a birthday suit."

Piper blushed again. " It's still covered."

" Holy shit! Good golly Piper, what a costume," Shane laughed. " Happy birthday cutie."

" Thanks Shane." Piper smiled.

Jeff put his arms around Piper's waist, kissing her lips gently, rubbing his hands up and down her back. The couple ignored the snickering behind them until Trish and Amy came up behind Jeff, each poking him in one side. Jeff yelped and jumped back and Trish and Amy both grabbed one of Piper's hands.

" Geez guys! PDA's are not appreciated! Plus, birthday girl has presents to open!"

Amy and Trish pulled Piper away from Jeff and over to the chair that had suddenly been surrounded by wrapped presents and bags stuffed with tissue paper. Piper giggled and sat down as all her friends gathered around. From above her head, a small box was placed into Piper's lap. Piper looked up and smiled at Matt standing above her.

" I don't know ya as well as others do, and I probably should. But here ya go anyhow."

" Thanks Matt."

Piper smiled and opened the present to reveal a red baby T-shirt with "Evil Queen" written on it in black letters. Piper laughed.

" That's me alright! Thanks dude!"

More presents were placed in Piper's lap, ranging from flowers to candies to thongs and bras, the latter, of course the work of Amy and Trish. The last gift was from Jeff, and he had promised her he'd give it to her after everyone else left. Piper agreed to wait for her surprise from Jeff and they went on ahead with their Trick-Or-Treating, getting many a strange look from parents around the neighborhood. After their expedition gathering candy and other treats, they all detoured back to Jeff's house for a bit more of partying. Soon enough, one by one, people started leaving until it was only down to Jeff and Piper. The couple sat on the couch before Jeff jumped up, remembering his present to Piper.

" Okay...I didn't want to do this in front of everyone cos I didn't wanna make an ass outta myself. But I wanted to do something different for you, so I looked through my CD collection and found a song that I thought represented us a lot. Well, our relationship anyhow. And I came up with this."

Jeff pulled out his guitar and started strumming gently, beginning to sing.

__

/If shame had a face I think it 

would kind of look like mine 

If it had a home would it be my eyes

Would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this

Well here we go now one more time\

" Recognize it?" Jeff asked.

" No..." Piper said slowly.

" Okay, keep listening."

__

/I tried to climb your steps

I tried to chase you down

I tried to see how low I could get it down to the ground

I tried to earn my way

I tried to tame this mind

You better believe that I tried to beat this

So when will this end it goes on and on

Over and over and over again

Keep spinning around I know that it won't stop 

Till I step down from this for good

I never thought I'd end up here

Never thought I'd be standing where I am

I guess I kinda thought that it would be easier than this

I guess I was wrong now one more time

I tried to climb your steps

I tried to chase you down

I tried to see how long I could get it down to the ground

I tried to earn my way

I tried to tame this mind

You better believe that I tried to beat this

So when will this end it goes on and on

Over and over and over again

Keep spinning around I know that it won't stop 

Till I step down from this for good

Sick cycle carousel

This is a sick cycle, yeah

Sick cycle carousel 

This is a sick cycle, yeah

So when will this end it goes on and on

Over and over and over again

Keep spinning around I know that it won't stop 

Till I step down from this for good

When will this end it goes on and on

Over and over and over again

Keep spinning around I know that it won't stop 

Till I step down from this for good

Sick cycle carousel

Sick cycle carousel

Sick cycle carousel...\

Piper smiled over at Jeff and waved him closer. Jeff sat his guitar down and sat on the couch with Piper, pulling her into his lap.

" Thank you Jeff. That was sweet."

" You're welcome darlin," Jeff said. " Hang on, I got something else for ya."

Piper wiggled from Jeff's lap and Jeff got up, running up the stairs. He came back with box shaped something in his hand and sat back down on the couch. Jeff handed Piper the box, letting her know to go ahead and open it.

" What is this?" She asked.

" Just open it."

Piper pulled off the wrapping paper and opened the box, finding a piece of paper in it. Hand written by Jeff.

" The following three cards allow you three wishes I am obliged to grant. I am at your mercy of whatever you want, I agree, no questions asked. No arguments given. Your wishes are my command. With all love, Jeffery Nero Hardy." Piper read aloud, a tear slightly sliding down her cheek.

" Why're you crying?" Jeff whispered, wiping a tear away.

" It's so sweet. Jeff you never, ever cease to amaze me at how inventive, and romantic you can be."

" That's just how I am," Jeff said, kissing Piper's cheek. " I love you m'darling."

" I love you too."

" Hey c'mon, let's get to bed huh? It`s getting late."

Piper nodded and got up, along with Jeff and the two walked up the stairs. Jeff and Piper went into his room and Piper picked out her pajamas from her bag and went to the bathroom to change. When she came back, Jeff was standing next to the fish tank, dropping some food in for his fish. Piper sat down his the bed and looked up at Jeff, who wiped his hands on his boxers and kissed Piper's forehead.

" Your costume was cute tonight." Jeff remarked with a wink.

" Thanks. It was a random, last minute deal. I liked how it turned out though."

" It was definitely different and revealing, really revealing."

Piper blushed severely, covering her face with her hands. Jeff pulled them away and kissed Piper's face gently and ran his fingers through her hair.

" Don't be embarrassed. You looked amazing. You've very beautiful and sexy baby. Don't be embarrassed."

" I'm not embarrassed, just a little self-conscious no one's seen me that close to nude since I was about 2-years-old."

Jeff chuckled. " We'll you're gorgeous anyhow regardless. But I'll tell ya this, I almost died when you showed up at the door tonight."

" So I saw. You eyes popped outta their sockets." Piper laughed, lying on Jeff's bed.

" They didn't!" Jeff exclaimed.

" Okay. Keep thinking that."

Piper laughed as Jeff shut off the light and crawled into the bed with her. Jeff wrapped his arms around Piper's body tightly and kissed her hair.

" Good night baby. Happy birthday. I love you." He whispered.

" I love you too."

--2 Weeks Later--

" Okay Piper, this is it. You've been all kissy, kissy lovey, dovey with on-camera with Jeff for a few weeks and now is the time to introduce you is Triple H's sister on screen."

" Fun fun," Piper rolled her eyes. " How's it working?"

" Well sometime during RAW tonight, Hunter is going to stumble upon you and Jeff making kissy in the hallway and apparently he's seen enough of the tow of you together in the past few weeks and he finds the two of you and it's like enough! And pulls you apart and carries you off." Stephanie said.

" Sounds like fun." Piper rolled her eyes again.

" So you never told me. How was your birthday party?"

" It was crazy! Jeff was dressed as Tarzan. Amy was a cat, Christian and Joey were Jay and Silent Bob."

" Who?" Stephanie asked.

" Joey Matthews and Christian York."

" Oh and they were who?"

" Jay, that was Christian. And Silent Bob, that was Joey."

" Okay. And you were?"

" Kylie Minogue."

" The singer?"

" Yeah. There's pictures and videos. You gotta see `em to believe what I wore."

" OH? Really?!"

" Yep."

" What'd you get?"

" Bras, thongs, candy, flowers, shirts, and Jay...Reso, gave me socks."

Stephanie laughed. " Socks? And what about Jeff?"

" He sung me a song and played the guitar and gave me 3 unlimited wishes."

" What?"

" I got 3 cards and they each have `ONE WISH' written on `em and Jeff promised to grant them no matter what it is."

" That's interesting. Very sweet of him to do for you."

" I know. It's totally different. Straight from the mind of Jeff Hardy." Piper smiled.

" Very obviously. Okay. I have to go and talk to Paul. You get ready for tonight."

" Alright. I'll see ya later then Steph."

Stephanie walked from the room and Piper opened her bag to get her outfit for the night. She wore a pair of red baggy pants and the red shirt with `EVIL QUEEN' on it that Matt gave her for her birthday. Piper got dressed and did her own hair, putting it up into pigtail buns and applied a small amount of make-up. She walked out of the room and towards the guys lockeroom. She was about to knock on the door when it opened up and out popped Jeff. He laughed and smiled, putting an arm around Piper's shoulders.

" Hey. Lookin for me?"

" Yep. We got a promo to do." Piper said with a smile.

" I'm glad all this comes very natural," Jeff chuckled. " Makes it all the easier for us."

" That it does."

" Let's get going, huh?"

Piper nodded and she and Jeff walked to a designated part of the arena to start their promo.

***

" What's going on back here?" J.R. says, as the camera turns to the backstage area.

The camera's angle switched and caught the sight of Jeff Hardy and Piper against a somewhat secluded wall in the backstage area, Jeff's back against the wall and Piper leaning against his front, their lips firmly pressed together.

" Hey J.R.! That's Jeff Hardy...and Piper!"

" You're sure right King."

Jeff and Piper continued to kiss until a form appeared behind an unexpecting Piper, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her away from Jeff. Piper fought to get out of the grip of whoever had her but her struggles came to no avail. Piper was placed back on her feet and swung around to be face to face with Triple H.

" What does Triple H want with Piper?" J.R. exclaimed.

" What the hell do you want?" Piper demanded.

Triple H said nothing, just picked up Piper over his shoulder and began to walk away, carrying Piper screaming and kicking and leaving Jeff quite puzzled. Triple H stopped, and turned to Jeff, a menacing look on his face.

" Stay the hell away from my sister!"

" HIS SISTER," King exclaimed. " PIPER IS TRIPLE H'S SISTER?!"

" King I don't believe that!"

" I don't believe it either J.R., Piper is Triple H's sister!"

RAW cut out into a commercial and after it came back from their "Burn Of the Week" it opened into a shot of the "Evolution" lockeroom. Piper stood against the wall, an angry and look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista where obviously the other inhabitants of the room. Hunter walked up to Piper and took her by the arm but Piper jerked away, pushing past her brother, trying to leave the room, only to be blocked by Batista. Piper scowled at him and tried to move one way but he moved with her. Piper went the other way but Batista did too.

" I'm only going to say this once, and I'm not going to say it nicely. MOVE!" Piper said evenly. 

Batista didn't move and Hunter grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, bringing her face to face with him.

" You're not going anywhere."

" I have a match. Let me go." Piper said.

" She's got a point H." Randy said.

Hunter shot Randy a look and Randy backed off. Hunter refocused his attention to his extremely hostile sister and stared her in the eyes.

" You're not going anywhere with him."

" Oh Jesus Hunter! I'm a grown woman, I can choose who I hang out with!"

" Sure, you can. Just not him."

" What the hell is that? That's a load of crap!"

Piper rolled her eyes and began to walk away but Triple H grabbed her by the arm, and went to spin her around but as she was spun, she swung her arms around and hit Hunter squarely in the nose. Hunter let her go and immediately threw his hands to his abused nose and Piper made her escape. Batista tried to stop her but she ducked and wriggled out under his legs. Throwing a cocky look back at the members of "Evolution", Piper exited the room, leaving the for men there.

" WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?! GO GET HER!" Triple H yelled.

And so Randy Orton and Batista took off out of the lockeroom in search of Piper. She had taken off down the hallway and made it towards Jeff's lockeroom where he was standing, still a dumfounded look on his face. Piper grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down a dead end hallway.

" When's the match?"

" Soon," Jeff said blandly. " Why didn't you tell me?"

" I didn't want this to happen, that's why. When's soon."

" You still could have said something. Next two. Why not?"

" Because I didn't need Hunter breathing down my back 24/7! God Jeff!"

" Hey! I'm sorry. I'm on your side here."

" I'm sorry.. I'm just not wanting Hunter to find us that's all."

" It's alright, we've got a match up soon so it's cool."

" Not soon enough. I know he sent his flying monkeys after me."

Jeff laughed. " Flying monkeys?"

" Yeah, you know. Orton and Batista."

Jeff shook his head, laughing softly. " You're something else Piper. You really are."

--Later In RAW--

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the WWE Women's Championship! First, making her way to the ring, from Nashua, New Hampshire, accompanied by Jeff Hardy, she is the WWE Women's Champion. PIPER!"

Maroon sparks shoot up from the stage and the familiar tune of "Enth E End" by Linkin Park begins to play and the Women's Champion Piper struts onto the ramp. She raises the belt in the air with a smile on her face and runs down the ramp, sliding into the ring. Jeff stayed on the outside of the ring and Piper smiled, raising her belt in the air to the fans as her theme shut off.

****

Yes I've Lost My Mind...

"And her opponent, from Los Angeles, California, being accompanied by Steven Richards, VICTORIA!"

Victoria walked down the ramp, the intense look on her face she always wore. She got into the ring and glared at Piper. Steven Richards slide out and the lights came back on and the bell rang. Piper and Victoria locked up in the middle of the ring. Victoria caught Piper in a tight side headlock and bounced her into the ropes, knocking her down with a shoulder block. Victoria picked up Piper by the hair and flung her across the ring, making her land on her face. Piper scrambled to her feet and kicked Victoria in the midsection, giving her a chop across the chest, followed by a few more. Victoria grabbed Piper and put her in a tight hammerlock but Piper reversed out of it and clotheslined Victoria to the mat. Victoria whipped Piper into the ropes and went for a clothesline but Piper pulled off a cartwheel and avoided the contact of Victoria's clothesline. Victoria stood amazed and went for Piper again after regaining herself, and threw her to the ropes again and Piper pulled off another cartwheel to the frustration of Victoria. Piper taunted at Victoria and she fumed, running at Piper but she sidestepped and Victoria went flying out of the ring. Piper stood in the ring and waited for Victoria to get back into the ring. All in a huff, Victoria climbed back into the ring and glared her psychotic glare at Piper before charging at her again. This time Piper was less than lucky and wasn't able to sidestep Victoria's attack and Victoria speared Piper hard to the mat. The two girls fought in the ring when the crowd suddenly erupted in loud boo's as The Evolution came walking down the ramp, led of course, by Triple H. Unbeknownst to Jeff, Batista was standing behind him and suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, turning him around. They fought back and forth before Batista caught Jeff with a knee to the stomach. Batista picked up Jeff and powerbombed him on the mats on the outside. Jeff writhed in pain as Ric Flair distracted the ref as Piper was going for the cover on Victoria. Piper pounded on the mat and stood up, walking over to the ref but was stopped by Triple H. He spun his sister around and without hesitation kicked her in the stomach and gave her the Pedigree. Triple H pulled Victoria on top of his sister and Ric Flair left the referee to the match and the Evolution retreated backstage, watching on and referee Charles Robinson counted Piper down for the 1-2-3 and the loss of her Women's Championship.

" And here is your winner, and the NEW WWE Women's Champion, VICTORIA!"

Steven Richards pulled Victoria out of the ring and handed her the Championship belt. Victoria clutched it tightly to her chest and she and Steven Richards went backstage leaving Piper and Jeff lying ringside.

****

" DAMMIT!" Piper screamed.

" Piper! Calm down," Jeff said. " It's alright!"

" No it's not fucking alright Jeff! That wasn't supposed to happen! He wasn't supposed to give me the damn Pedigree!"

" He wasn't?"

" NO! He was just supposed to give me a slam or something I could kick out of," Piper growled. " Not the fucking Pedigree."

Jeff put his arms around Piper and rested his chin on her head. " It'll be okay baby. Don't worry. Calm down."

" It's not fair. Jeff it's not fair!" Piper pouted, resting her head on Jeff's chest.

" I know babe. I know. Don't worry about it. It'll be alright."


	10. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 10

" Piper don't bug about the title you'll get it back," Amy said reassuringly. " Look, we've got that big photo shoot coming up soon."

Piper nodded. " That's gonna be cool. I've never done anything like that. It's in Cancun right?"

" Yeah. They're fun. It'll be cool."

" When is it?" Piper asked.

" In a few weeks I think. I can't believe it's here already."

" Me either. It sounds like a blast." Piper said.

" You're still pissed." Amy said flatly.

" And? I have a right to be Aims! It's not fucking fair!"  
" Baby it's alright. You'll get it back. Look at it this way, they'll probably have you and Jeff feud with the Evolution. That way, you get your shots in on Paul and you'll still get to be with Jeff. It's cool, it all works out."

Piper sighed, sitting down on the bench. "You're right Amy. I'll get back at him one way or another."  
" That's right! Now, you, Trish, Stacy, and me are gonna hit the mall, you know, that really big mall," Amy winked "And get some shopping done!"

" Nice," Piper exclaimed. " I need some new clothes before I have to start taking stuff from Jeff."

Amy laughed. " I understand. Let's get going!"

Amy and Piper got walked out of the lockeroom and headed down the hallway and met up with Stacy Keibler. They added another girl to their group and headed off to find the fourth. After gathering Trish, they headed out to the parking garage and took off in Trish's car. Not too long after they had left, they arrived at a large mall...in fact, the largest mall in America.

" Now I remember why I love Minnesota," Stacy laughed. " The biggest place to shop!"

The other three girls agreed enthustically and they headed off on their newest shopping adventure. After a few hours, the foursome settled back to Trish's car and headed back to the arena. After they arrived, Stacy went on her way to find Andrew and Trish, Amy, and Piper headed to the Divas lockeroom to investigate each others purchases of the day. Piper sat contentedly on the floor, dumping the contents of her Hot Topic bags onto the floor in front of her.

" Damn Piper, what'd you do, buy out the place?" Trish laughed.

" Nah, only half. Aims has the other half."

" That's right! Hot Topic is the best place to shop!"

Piper nodded in agreement. " Yeah it is," She smiled, holding up a purple velvet shirt that completely tied up the front. " Look at the shirt I got. I love this one!"

" One extra thing to lace up," Amy joked, starting to sift through her bags. " I shoulda bought some new stuff for the photo shoot!"

" I did!" Trish exclaimed, proudly holding up her Victoria's Secret bag.

Piper shook her head. " Bikini's fine. Lingerie, not fine."

" Aw c'mon Piper! The sexy lingerie shoots are some of the most fun." Trish nudged Piper with her elbow. "Plus, I know a certain purple-haired someone who'd love to see it."

Piper shot Trish a look. " What have I told you?"

" Chaste, chaste I know! But goodness give the boy an appetizer!"

Amy looked at Trish and started bursting into laughter. " What the hell is this? A restaurant? Give the boy an appetizer!"

" Well, she can't just leave him hanging!"

" I don't think she is!" Amy shrieked, clutching her sides.

" AMY," Piper yelled, blushing severely. " SHUT UP!"

" Oh come on, you know it's happened! One minute its sweet innocent Jeff and the next its like BOING hello Mr. Happy!"

The three girls squealed with laughter, all three of them toppling over to the floor. Piper managed to regain her composure a bit and sat up, clutching her sides tightly, still shaking with laughter. Amy and Trish both laid sprawled out on the floor head against head giggling insanely. Amy kicked her feet in the air and Trish rolled to her side, making an unsuccessful attempt to sit up. Piper looked over at Trish and burst into laughter again shaking her head. The lockeroom door opened and standing with a completely confused looks upon their faces were Stephanie and Paul. Piper gasped for breath and sat flat on her butt on the floor, still slightly doubled over. Trish looked towards the door and her laughter momentarily caught in her throat before it sputtered over again. Amy pulled herself together and stood up shakily, casting a somewhat lopsided smile at Stephanie and Paul.

" Hey," She laughed. " What can we do for ya?"

" Not much," Stephanie laughed. " Just looking for Piper."  
" NO! I'm staying right here. I'm not moving! If you want me you're gonna hafta drag my ass outta here." Piper said, looking up at Stephanie and Paul.

" Don't think it can't be arranged."

Piper rolled her eyes, flipping her brother off. She rolled backwards to her knees with a sigh, not bothering to pull up her pants that had fallen half way off her hips.

" Hey Piper, you're pulling an Amy!" Trish exclaimed.

" Say huh," Piper asked, slightly confused. " Whatdaya mean?"

" She means pull up your damn pants." Paul said flatly, crossing his arms.

" Ooh! Is my thong showing? It's blue today ain't it? Sparkly too," Piper snickered. " That's my favorite one."

Paul rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Piper laughed and hopped to her feet, lifting her low slung pants back to their rightful place on her hips. " I love it when I can do that. Aggravating Pauly is so easy."

Stephanie chuckled. " I see you girls went shopping. And didn't bring me! Thanks!"

" Aww! We're sorry. We'll remember next time." Amy said, sitting down on the bench to sort through the rest of her clothes.

" Yeah. It'll be fun." Trish said.

Stephanie nodded. " Sounds fun. But Piper we really do need you."  
" Alright, I'll see you two troublemakers later." Piper laughed, waving at Amy and Trish.

" What was that all about?" Stephanie asked.

" I'll tell ya later." 

-------

" So let me get this straight. I'm going out with Jeff during his match with Rhyno. Jeff gets conked out on the outside and I go to help him and I get Gored and kidnapped by Evolution?"

" Basically." Stephanie said.

" Who the hell came up with this?" Piper asked.

" It wasn't me. That's all I know."

" Yeah well, I know you wouldn't do that to me Steph."

" Of course I wouldn't!

" So, this Gore, is it on the inside or outside?"  
Stephanie cringed. "...The outside..."

" FUCKING lovely! Paul had something to do with this and I know it!"

" Piper, I'm sorry."

" Yeah, it's alright," Piper sighed. " I probably should go. I'm up soon yeah?"

" Yeah, it's gonna be fine."

" I hope. But look at it this way. At least _you're _not the one getting kidnapped this time."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and threw a folder of papers at Piper. She laughed and slipped out the door, going towards the lockeroom where all the guys were. Jeff was walking from the room as Piper was coming down the hallway. He stopped and looked at her, putting his hands on his hips.  
" You trying to copy my outfit?" He laughed, looking her up and down.

" Looks like you're trying to copy me skittle." Piper laughed.

The two almost looked identical, they were both wearing Jeff's logo shirt only Jeff's sleeves were only cut out and Piper's was cut to look like a halter-top. The both wore baggy black pants but Piper's slung lower than Jeff's, showing off her hips.

" Amy?"

" Oh of course. If she retires from wrestling, I swear the girl needs her own clothes line." Piper laughed.

" Tell me about it! I couldn't tell you the number of shirts and things she's cut up for me." Jeff laughed, wetting his hair with a water bottle.

" We're up soon I guess."  
" Yeah. What's going on tonight?" Jeff asked.

" I get Gored."

" Ouch! That hurts like hell!"  
" Yeah well Terry isn't exactly a gentle person."

Jeff chuckled. " He's cool."  
" Yeah. But...those damn Gores hurt!"

" How do you know?"

" I just know!"

" How?"  
" I just do!"

" How?!"  
" Jeff, Piper, you guys are on in five." A stagehand said, interrupting their argument.

" Okay, thanks." They both said.

" Let's get going." Jeff said.

***

The lights went dark and Jeff Hardy's theme began to play. The black lights came up and Jeff Hardy stepped out, throwing his paint around, Piper coming out behind him.

" The following match up is scheduled for one fall, first, making his way to the ring, from Cameron North Carolina, being accompanied by Piper, JEFF HARDY!"

" JR it's still hard to believe that Piper is Triple H's sister!"

" King I have to agree with you. It definitely doesn't look like Triple H is very happy with his sister's relationship with Jeff Hardy."

" If your sister looked like that would you be happy about her dating a freak like Jeff Hardy?"

Jeff and Piper stood in the ring as Rhyno came to the ring.  
" And his opponent, from Detroit, Michigan, RHYNO!"

Rhyno walked down the ramp and got into the ring. Piper got out of the ring and stood in Jeff's corner as he and Rhyno locked up in the ring. Rhyno easily knocked Jeff to his rear end and Jeff quickly got up and came back at Rhyno with a flurry of right hands. Jeff bounced off the ropes and went for a clothesline but Rhyno knocked Jeff down with a hard shoulder block. Piper cheered Jeff on from the outside and Rhyno picked him up again and gave him a stalling suplex. Jeff hit the mat hard but popped back up quickly. Jeff kicked Rhyno in the midsection and dropped him with a double-leg take down and performed his patented leg-to-midsection move. Jeff went for a quick cover but Rhyno powered out. Jeff attempted to keep the offense on Rhyno but it wasn't enough, Rhyno hit Jeff with a big German Suplex. Rhyno covered Jeff but he kicked out after two. Piper pounded on the mat with her palms to get the crowd behind Jeff. Jeff slowly got to his feet as Rhyno was stalking him for the Gore. As he went to run, Piper reached into the ring and grabbed his leg, tripping him. Piper let go and walked to the other side of the ring, pleading her innocence to the referee. Rhyno eyed her as picked up Jeff in another suplex. Rhyno went for another cover and Jeff kicked out yet again. Jeff climbed to his feet and gave Rhyno another sharp kick to the stomach. Jeff gave Rhyno a hard DDT and went for another cover, but again, Rhyno kicked out. Before Jeff could get another move in, Rhyno dropped him with a clothesline. Rhyno picked up Jeff and tossed him by the head, out of the ring, sliding out the other side. Piper knelt beside Jeff, attempting to see if he was okay. She didn't give a second look at Rhyno who'd been stalking her in the corner, waiting for the right moment for her to stand up. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Piper rose and Rhyno came running at her, hitting her with a massive Gore on the outside. Piper landed on the outside mats with a loud thud. She curled herself into a ball on the outside, holding her head. Rhyno gathered up Jeff from the outside as the crowd erupted in a chorus of boo's. Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair came walking down the ramp. Triple H jabbed his finger towards Piper lying on the mat as Rhyno gave Jeff a vicious Gore inside the ring.

" What the hell does Evolution want with Piper?" JR exclaimed.

" What do you think JR? They want to get her away from Jeff!" King said.

Batista easily lifted the motionless Piper up from the mat and hoisted her onto his shoulder. The members of Evolution walked back up the ramp, Piper over Batista's shoulder and disappeared backstage, a camera directly in tow. The camera caught up with Evolution in the parking garage, pushing Piper into a limousine.  
" Randy you go with her, make sure she doesn't get out this time." Triple H barked.

Randy nodded and got into the limo as it sped away.

***

" Okay Randy. You can get the limo to turn around...we can go back to the arena now..."

" Umm...actually. I can't."  
" And why exactly not?"

" Because...Paul doesn't want me letting you go," Randy sighed. " I don't like it just as much as you don't but...my head's on the line!"

" Gee, thanks for being so God damn sensitive Randy! My fucking boyfriend's back there and there's not telling what the hell Paul's gonna do to him if I'm not there!"

" I'm sorry Piper but my hands are tied." Randy said.

" Randy Orton if you don't get this car to turn the fuck around I'll rip out your large intestine and TIE it around your neck!"

Randy gulped and tapped on the window separating the front and back parts of the limo. It slowly rolled down and Randy informed the driver that he wanted him to turn around. The driver obliged and Randy refused to look Piper in the eye for the ride back. The limo pulled up at the arena and Piper immediately jumped out, running back into the building. As usual, there were cameras backstage, causing Piper to immediately go back into character.

---

" Hey! JR! Piper's back!"

" It looks like Randy Orton couldn't hold Piper back here and I don't think that's going to sit well with Triple H."

" Oh you're right JR, there's only one reason Piper would be back and that's on account of her boyfriend Jeff Hardy."

" I agree King and ladies and gentlemen, if you're just joining us, here's a look at what you've missed. Piper was accompanying Jeff Hardy at ringside and she was on the receiving end of a vicious Gore by Rhyno and she was taken, kidnapped if you will, straight from ringside by her brother Triple H and the other members of Evolution."

" Triple H specifically told Randy Orton to make sure that Piper didn't get out of his sight this time and it's obvious that didn't happen." King said.

" That's exactly right King and let's show everyone what Evolution did to Jeff Hardy backstage. After Randy left with Piper in that limo."  
" JR, even I have to admit what Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista did to Jeff Hardy was just unfair and the could have really badly hurt him."

" King it was absolutely uncalled for. Just listen to this vile chair shot Triple H fired off of Jeff Hardy's skull."

The replay showed Triple H swing the chair and smash Jeff over the head with it and his limp body fall from being held by Batista and Ric Flair. Triple H threw down the chair and stared down at Jeff lying face down on the floor.

" That oughta teach you to mess with my sister, you piece of trash freak!"

Triple H spat on Jeff's prone body and the members of Evolution walked away. The cameras cut back to the live action where the trainers were helping Jeff regain his vertical base when Piper ran onto the scene. She pushed her way through other superstars to get to Jeff's side. He had a small line of blood trickling down his forehead from where he was busted open from the chair shot he received.

" Jeff!" Piper exclaimed.

" Piper! How'd you get back here?"

" Jeff, c'mon, we need to get you to see a doctor quick." One of the trainers said.

" You take care of him. I need to have a talk with Mr. Bischoff."

The trainers helped Jeff up and away from the area and Piper stormed off to Eric Bischoff's office. RAW went to a commercial and when it returned, Piper was found backstage, bounding into Eric Bischoff's office.

" Bischoff! I want a match!"

" Whoa! Whoa! Who the hell do you think you are? Charging in here without knocking and demanding a match!"

" Mr. Bischoff, I am NOT a patient woman! I want a match and I am not going to mess around here with you to get it!"

" Fine! What do you want?"

" I want that pompous ass I'm forced to call a brother in a match next week on RAW for what he did to Jeff tonight!"

" You want a match with Triple H? The World Heavyweight Champion on RAW next week?"

" I didn't stutter did I Bischoff? I want the match!"

" I want the match. I want the match," Bischoff mocked. " Typical of you women, always wanting something."  
" LISTEN BISCHOFF, I am not messing around! I want the match with Triple H and if you don't sign it, I will go to someone above you and get it signed myself!"

" Okay! Okay! You want the damn match!? Fine! You've got it! You against Triple H, next week on RAW. Now get the hell out of my office!"

Piper rolled her eyes at Bischoff and walked out the door, slamming it so hard behind her it made one of the pictures fall off the wall. Bischoff scrambled to pick it up as they cut back to the ring for another match. A few segments later, Terri was backstage with Triple H before his match, getting an interview.

" Triple H. Apparently, Eric Bischoff has signed a match for next week on RAW, putting you against your very own younger sister Piper. As a matter of fact, she demanded the match after seeing what you did to her boyfriend Jeff Hardy here tonight..."  
" You know Terri, that's where you're wrong. That little punk Jeff brought this all on himself. I warned him to stay away from Piper, and what does he do? The opposite. If Piper wants a match against me to defend her little boyfriend then that's fine. I'll kick her ass just like I would any other idiot here in the back."  
" But Triple H...she's your sister..."

" Terri. What you don't understand is that in a business like this, family means **nothing**. Let me spell that out for you n-o-t-h-i-n-g. Nothing. Understand? I don't care if she's a girl and I don't care if she's my sister. If she wants to step up to the plate and take on the best, then I'll treat her like any other person I step into that ring with. I won't show her any mercy just because we're related. I won't cut her any slack, and that's just the way it has to be."

" Well...alright then Triple H. Thank you for your time."

" Oh, Terri, one more thing. If she wants to go through with this match. How about we put a stipulation on it? When I win. She abandons that freak Jeff Hardy, and everything to do with him, and get to know some real people, she becomes part of the Evolution."

" But what if she wins?"

" Seeing as her chances are slim and none, and well, slim isn't exactly going to her any good, but if by some freak accident, she pulls out a victory, then she'll stay with the freak of nature."  
" Thank you again for your time.."

---

After RAW was over, Piper and Amy headed back to the hotel. The decided to room together that night just to sit up and talk for a while, catching up with a few things they missed. Piper walked out from the bathroom portion of the room, brushing her freshly washed hair down her back.

" Aims, I want you to give me a dye job." Piper said.

" Uh...what colour?"

" Brown. Light brown."

" That's gonna require a few steps." Amy said.  
" As in?"

" Bleaching. Waiting 6 weeks. And then dying it."

" Damn! I'll be a bleach head for six weeks?"

" Yep. It's easier to dye light hair dark colours than dye dark hair light colours." Amy shrugged.

" Well, I still want you to do my hair."

" Okay cool. Next time we're in the 'Lina's, I'll do it for you."

" When's that gonna be?"

" You're asking me? You're the one close with management," Amy laughed. " Ask Stephanie."

Piper shrugged, picking up the hotel phone and dialing Stephanie's room number.

" Hello?"

" Steph?"  
" Yes. What's up?"  
" When are we gonna get back to the Carolina's?"

" Next week."  
" Truthfully?"

" Yes. Why?"  
" Cos Amy's dying my hair and we need time..."  
" In the sun!" Amy called.

" Yeah, in the sun." Piper laughed.

" What colour are you going for?"  
" Light brown."

" No, no, no, no! Not brown! Why not red...or blonde?"

" Red or blonde? No offense to Amy but I'd be a shitty redhead! And I'm not dumb enough to be a blonde!"

" C'mon Piper! You'd be so beautiful as a redhead!"

" No, no I wouldn't."

" Let meeeee talk to her!" Amy pleaded, snatching the phone from Piper.

" Hello?"

" Steph! Amy. What colour do you think would look better on Piper?"  
" Definitely red or blonde, she is naturally blonde."

" Oh I know! But let's picture her next to Jeff. The black looks hot. Red would be nice...I don't think blonde would fit. Maybe...a chocolate cherry colour...with...red highlights. It'd be kinda brown...kinda red...but we could add red highlights."

" That'd be good! She'd get her brown and we'd see how the red looks."  
" Exactly! Well...we're gonna hafta get used to her with bleach blonde hair for about 6 weeks... I have to bleach it first and it's better to wait about 6 weeks to add another colour."

" HELLO! This is my hair you're scamming about!"

" We know!" Amy and Stephanie called.

" So what I have to do is, bleach it with some peroxide to strip out the black. Let her sit in the sun for a while. Get the chocolate cherry colour, more brown for the base colour, and get some...hmm...maybe ruby red...for highlights."

" Great! I can't wait to see the results!"

" Me either! Talk to ya later Steph!"  
" Bye Amy."

" Thanks Amy. That was a lot of help." Piper joked.

" Oh I know you love me."

" Yes Amy I love you so much." Piper said in a monotone voice.

Amy laughed and blew Piper a joking kiss before flopping down on her bed, stretching her arms above her head. " Dude. I can't believe you're gonna kick Paul's ass next Monday."

" I know. Did you know he wasn't supposed to hit Jeff with the chair?"

" No," Amy shot up. " He wasn't?"

" Nope. He was just supposed to beat him up. Him and Batista and Flair. But obviously, he decided to change it."

" Ooh, what an asshole!"

" Yeah, that's what I've been saying since day one."

Amy shrugged. " I know, but hey, at least you're gonna get to spend some time with him next week."

" Yeah," Piper said, slightly dreamily. "All I want is just to be able to sleep in his arms again. Honestly, truthfully, I just want him to hold me."

Amy smiled and patted Piper on the shoulder. " I understand babe."

" Thanks Aims. Hey, I'm gonna put my head down, I'm beat."

" Hey, before you crash out, how'd you get the limo to come back?"

" I told Randy if he didn't get the limo to turn around, I'd rip out his large intestine and tie it around his neck."

Amy cringed. " OUCH! Damn girl!"

" Yeah. I was pissed, I didn't want Paul hurting Jeff anymore."

" If I could have I would've helped, you know I would."

" I know. I know. Now, I'm just itching to kick Paul's ass in the ring next week."

" Dude I know you are."

" Okay, now I'm gonna get some sleep cos I'm gonna hit the gym tomorrow morning."

" Alright. G'night girlie."  
" Night Aims."

Piper and Amy both laid down in their respective beds, both reaching over to turn out the light simultaneously turning out the lights. The next morning at about 6am, Piper stirred in her bed, throwing one arm off the side. She groaned and rolled over, looking at the clock. Piper sighed and got up, stumbling to the bathroom. She splashed some cold water on her face to wake herself up before grabbing a towel and dragging her bag into the bathroom to change. Piper put on a pair of black mesh shorts and a black sports bra. Piper brushed her disheveled hair and threw it up into a bun, tossing her bag back into the room. Piper took the towel and her keycard, slid on her shoes and left the room. She took the elevator down to the last floor and made her way to the gym. There were a few superstars in the gym already, Batista and Randy Orton being two of them and Shane Helms and Matt Hardy being two more. All four men looked to the door as Piper walked in, Randy visibly cringed and Piper let out a slight laugh, walking up to him.

" Randy. Dude. About the large intestine thing. I'm really sorry I was just pissed yesterday night. I didn't mean it."

Randy let out a large sigh of relief. " Thank God! I thought you were gonna kill me!"

Piper laughed. " Nah, I wouldn't do that. Sorry."

" It's cool, just...don't do it again!"

Piper laughed and patted Randy on the shoulder. Piper started on her workout as a few more wrestlers started filing into the gym. After a while, Piper had moved to the treadmill and started running. She heard someone climb on behind her and run with her. Thinking it were only Jeff, she paid it no mind.

" Jeff, y'know, I figured you'd still be asleep." She laughed.

" That may be true. If I were Jeff."

Piper cringed and stopped the machine, stepping onto the sides of the treadmill to avoid falling off the moving belt...unfortunately, the person trailing her wasn't so lucky. And to no one's surprise, that person was Chris Jericho. Chris stepped onto the belt as it began to stop and slipped off the back, landing on his ass. Spattered snickering was heard across the gym and Piper climbed off.

" Asshole."

Piper walked away from the treadmill and walked out of the gym. She headed back up to her room she ran into Jeff, who had obviously just woke up. He stumbled towards the soda machine, scratching his bare chest. Piper smiled and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, walking up to Jeff.

" You're living."

" Just barely," Jeff mumbled, rubbing his left eye. " Damn my head hurts."

" Aww, I'm sorry baby. I'd hug you but I'm all sticky and nasty and sweaty. I gotta go shower."

A sly smile crept onto Jeff's lips. " Why don't those three words ... coming out of your mouth, sound too bad to my ears?"

" Because you're a horny man that's not getting any nookie?"

Jeff jokingly hung his head. " Yes...yes that's true."

Piper laughed and kissed Jeff on the cheek. " I'm gonna go shower. See you in a few hours?"

" Yeah...I may be walking correctly next time ya see me."

Piper giggled again and walked to her room. She went inside and made a beeline straight for the bathroom, not even bothering to say hi to Amy. Piper showered and came out, wrapped in a towel.

" Hey Pip...err...too late."  
Piper shrieked and jumped back into the bathroom, seeing Matt sitting on the bed across from Amy.

" AIMS!! TELL ME SOMEONE'S IN THERE WITH YOU NEXT TIME!"

" Sorry! Want your bag?"

" PLEASE!"

Amy laughed and got up. She rolled Piper's bag to the door and pushed it open, sliding it in to her. "Sorry babe."

" 'Sok."

After a while, Piper came back out, dressed in a black half-shirt with the letters AFI on the from and the words A Fire Inside on the back. Under it, she wore a bright red long sleeved fishnet T-shirt. She wore dangerously low slung dark blue jeans and a pair of red toe socks.

" Beautiful style Piper." Matt laughed.

Piper bowed and smiled. " Thank you. Thank you."

" You look like Jeff's clone."

" Not his clone, just his girlfriend." Piper smiled.

" Get this Matt, Piper's getting me to strip her hair."

" Huh?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.

" She's getting me to change her hair colour."

" Oh. To what?"

" Red and brown...ish." Piper said, throwing her currently black hair up in a messy ponytail.

" How?"

" She's bleaching my hair. Then six weeks later, she's gonna dye it this ... what colour?"  
" Chocolate cherry. It's a brown kinda colour with red highlights in it. Then we're gonna use ruby red to put high lights in her hair."

" Sounds nice." Matt said.

" Piper didn't like it at first, but Steph and I talked her into it." Amy smiled.

" Right." Piper said, rolling her eyes.

---RAW- Monday---

" You ready for this Piper?" Stephanie asked from the door.

" Ready as I'll ever be. It's the M.E Steph, I gotta do the best I can."

" I know. Look, Paul doesn't plan on going soft on you, I can tell. So...just be careful, and watch your back. Dave, Randy, and Ric promised not to interfere cos they don't think it's right."

" That I'm facing Paul, or what he's doing?"  
" The latter."

" Well, good. I'm glad there's a few more on my side." Piper said, pulling up the homemade armband Jeff gave her up her arm.

" So you're going Hardy-ed out?" Stephanie laughed.

And Piper did indeed look "Hardy-ed" out. She wore a pair of large Kik Wear black pants and black and white wrestling boots. She had on Jeff's logo shirt that was cut into halter-top form, the ever popular HB pendant and Jeff's armbands. Her hair was pinned up in pigtails in true Jeff Hardy fashion and had green and purple extensions clipped into it. She had borrowed some of Jeff's glow-in-the-dark paint and spattered it on her pants and put a bit on her face.

" Definitely. Paint and all baby!"

" Well, you better hurry up and get going, the main event is up next!"

Piper nodded and walked out the door. She stood at the near the interview set and jogged slightly in place as Terri walked up to her.

" Are we doing an interview before the match?"

" I dunno. I wasn't told anything about it." Piper said with a shrug.

" Well, we've got time. I think we could pull on off," Terri said, waving a technician over. " Run to Vince's office and let him know we're doing an interview with Piper, and send a camera quick."

The tech nodded and scuttled off. A few moments later, the cameraman came to the set with the okay for the interview and clicked on the camera.

***

" Piper. It's just moments before your huge match with Triple H. Your older brother. What exactly is going through your mind right now?"

" Terri. There's a hell of a lot going through my mind right now, but the one thing that's repeating itself the most is my drive to kick Triple H's sorry ass to hell and back tonight. I am more than driven to win this match because I am NOT abandoning by boyfriend because of my asshole brother! I refuse to become a part of Evolution. I am not anything like those guys in Evolution. I original and I am damn proud of it."

" Piper the task ahead of you is almost...uneven. How do you plan on overcoming an obstacle like this?"

" I have a lot of attributes that Triple H doesn't have. I have the speed. I have the agility. I have the highflying ability that Triple H couldn't counteract. Triple H may be powerful, but what he fails to remember is that he trained me himself. He showed me quite a bit of the stuff that I know. Subsequently, he's going to end up regretting teaching me anything at all. See, what Triple H thinks, is that he's smarter than me. But let me tell you something, he isn't. I have more knowledge than he knows I have and when it comes down to the end, Triple H isn't gonna wanna show his ugly face in the WWE anymore because he got beat. Not just by a girl. But by his little sister."

" Piper, thank you for your time and good luck tonight."  
Piper nodded and walked away. RAW went into a commercial and as it came back, the lights went down and Jeff's theme started up. The crowd murmured in confusion as the black lights came up and a form stepped out onto the stage, long pigtails swaying as she did a dance, glowing. The fans erupted in cheers as they realized who it was at the top of the stage.

" The following contest is scheduled for one fall. First, making her way to the ring, from Nashua New Hampshire, PIPER!"

Piper jumped up and down on the top of the ramp, waving her hands for the fans. She ran down the ramp and slid under the bottom rope, posing on the turnbuckles in Jeff Hardy fashion. She stood against the fair ropes, bouncing against them as Triple H's music started up.

" And her opponent, from Greenwich Connecticut, he is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, being accompanied by Evolution members, Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair, TRIPLE H!"

The members of Evolution walked down the ramp, three of them staying on the outside whilst Triple H climbed to the apron, doing his famous spitting of the water ritual. Before he could even think about stepping into the ring, Piper ran at him and knocked him off the apron. Triple H came off the apron and hit the barricade. Piper grabbed onto the top rope and vaulted over, landing squarely on top of Triple H. Piper picked up Triple H and rolled him back into the ring to the best of her abilities. She jumped up on the apron and hit a flipping guillotine leg drop. Piper went for a quick cover but Triple H kicked out barely after one. Piper kicked HHH in the head and hit him with a quick flipping neckbreaker.

" Piper is doing exactly what she needs to do in this match to stay alive and that's using her speed to her advantage." JR commented.

" JR I don't like poor Piper's chances in this match. She's facing the World Champion here, and look at the members of Evolution at ringside."

" That's exactly right King, I don't like her chances either but Piper is a fighter."

" She's gonna have to be if she plans on pulling off a win against Triple H here."

Piper had stayed on top of Triple H, assaulting him with a series of right hands and a sharp drop kick to the face. Piper went for another cover but Triple H powered out after two. Piper went to pick Triple H up from the mat but he gave Piper a hard back elbow into the stomach, knocking her off her feet to her rear end. Triple H quickly recovered and grabbed Piper by her pigtails and tossed her across the ring. Piper thudded to the mat and clutched her head. The referee, reprimanded Triple H but he ignored it, picking Piper up by the back of her trousers and tossed her to the other side of the ring again. Piper scrambled up to her feet and ran at Triple H but he knocked her down with a shoulderblock. Piper got up quickly and ran at him and ducked an attempted clothesline and came at him with a flying clothesline of her own. Piper hit HHH with a standing dropkick to the chest and then hit him with a 360 leg drop. Piper went for another cover but again HHH kicked out. Piper got up on the second turnbuckle and hit HHH with a neckbreaker from the second rope. Piper got up but HHH knocked her back down with a clothesline. HHH picked her up and clotheslined Piper down again. Yet again, HHH picked up Piper and knocked her down with a vicious clothesline. Piper clutched the back of her head as HHH went for a cover, Piper kicked out after two. HHH looked down at Piper and smirked, picking her up by her pigtails. HHH put Piper in a sleeper hold, making an attempt to wear her down. Piper dropped to a knee and referee Earl Hebner checked on Piper to see if she wanted to give up. Hebner raised Piper's hand once and it fell. Another time, it fell again. A third, but Piper refused to let it drop.

" King Piper is hanging in there, I don't think she's going to give up anytime soon."

" I have to agree JR, as much as I like Triple H, Piper's got a few things Triple H doesn't have."

" What's that?"

" Puppies and legs!"

Piper swung a wild left hand at HHH and hit him in the stomach with it. Piper started fighting back until she bounced off the ropes and Ric Flair grabbed onto her ankle, sending her flat on her face. HHH grabbed Piper again by the hair and hit her with a hard kick to the stomach and set her up for the Pedigree. HHH nailed it and Piper looked to be out cold. HHH went for the cover and the ref counted. 1-2...Piper gets a shoulder up! HHH stands up off the cover, raising his arms in victory as the other members of Evolution attempt to inform him that he hadn't won the match yet. Piper bounced off the ropes and hit HHH with a dropkick to the back. HHH stumbled and fell over the top rope. Piper ran back and hit the ropes again, hitting HHH with a suicide plancha over the top rope. Piper pulled up HHH and shoved him back into the ring. Piper got up on the second rope and jumped down, letting all her weight crash into HHH's chest. Piper picked HHH up once more and sent for a tornado DDT but HHH countered and slammed Piper on her back. HHH sat on the top turnbuckle and went for a double ax handle hit on Piper but she used her long legs to her advantage, kicking him in the stomach. Piper hit an Asai moonsault on HHH and went for another cover but only got a two count. Piper ducked a right hand from HHH and another. She kicked him in the stomach and hit a flipping neckbreaker on him. Piper climbed to the top rope and looked as if she were setting up Triple H for the Swanton Bomb! Indeed she was and she dove off, but Batista pulled HHH out of the way. Piper crashed on the mat with a resounding thud and HHH took full advantage of it, picking her up by her hair yet again and giving her another Pedigree. HHH pinned Piper again and this time got a three count out of it.

" Here is your winner, TRIPLE H!"

" This is just sad. Piper never once gave up in this match and didn't have a bit of help. The odds were stacked against this young woman and she gave it her all."

" JR, Piper kicked out of a Pedigree! There aren't a lot of people who have kicked out of the Pedigree!"

" King you are 100% right, Piper is a fighter and she didn't quit. And now she's got to leave her boyfriend."

Back in the ring, the members of Evolution stood around Piper's prone body in the ring. Triple H had a microphone in his hand, looking down on his sister.

" Didn't I tell you your chances were slim and none? You know Piper, you've got a lot of guts you little bitch..."  
" Now that was just uncalled for!" JR exclaimed.

" You've got a lot of guts challenging me to a match. But Piper, guts got you nowhere tonight. Because who's the winner now? ME, not you ME," Triple H said. " Pick her up! Pick her up!"

Batista and Randy held Piper up by her arms, while Flair held the back of her hair, making sure she was looking at Triple H. Before he could get another word out, the fans cheered loudly, and Jeff came racing down to the ring...chair in hand. Jeff slid into the ring and blasted Batista with the chair, then Randy. Jeff ducked a clothesline attempted by Ric Flair and blasted him in the head with the chair. Jeff's back was turned for one moment to Triple H and he ran at Jeff, clubbing him in the back of the head. Jeff fell to a knee, dropping the chair, which Triple H recovered. Jeff wobbled to his feet and turned around, getting met with a steel chair to his skull. Triple H grabbed Jeff by the hair and threw him to Batista who powerbombed Jeff directly on top of the chair. The members of Evolution slid out of the ring and Randy and Batista grabbed Piper, putting her over their shoulders as the cameras focused in on Jeff's body lying limp in the ring for the end of RAW.


	11. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 11

Piper stood up against the wall of the arena on the outside of the building, twirling around the "Los Guerreros" T-Shirt Chavo had randomly given her around. She laid it over her shoulder and started back towards the arena but before she even made it to the door, she felt a tapping on her shoulder. Piper whirled around and came face to face with a male fan, about 17 years old.

" Excuse me Piper...I don't mean to bother you, but I've been waiting out here for hours and I was just wondering if you could sign something for me."

" Sure! I'd love to."

The boy smiled, pulling a small book from the deep pocket of his baggy cargo pants. He held it and a black Sharpe marker out to Piper. Piper smiled and took it from the boy, signing her name to the paper, and just for her own twist, she pressed her lips to the paper, leaving a black print of her lips on it. Piper giggled and handed the boy his book and pen back.

" T..thanks! Thanks a lot!"

Piper smiled and waved at the boy, walking into the arena. The door squealed shut behind her as she walked back towards the Diva's lockeroom. Amy and Trish were sitting there talking, the both simultaneously looked at the door when it opened and smiled when Piper walked in.

" Hey girl, Paul's looking for you." Trish said.

" Welp, looks like I'm staying here for a while." Piper said, sitting next to Trish.

Amy laughed. " Where'd the Los Guerreros shirt come from?"

" Chavo," Piper said with a shrug. " It was random."

" Obviously."

" Did Pauly say what he wanted?"

" Nope, he just came in here and asked where you were."

" Where were you anyway?" Trish asked.

" Outside, I was gettin some air."

" Jeff was looking for you too...he was freaked when I told him you were colouring your hair."

" YOU'RE DOING WHAT?!" Trish exclaimed.

" I'm colouring my hair, I'm changing it from black to brown with red highlights." Piper explained.

" Why? The black looks good on you!"

" I know, but I want a change. I'm gonna have bleached blonde hair for six weeks."

" When?"

" Before the new shoot."

" Sounds like fun. I wanna see it!"

" You will, cos from the way I counted it, I'll still have it the week of the shoot." Piper said.

" Ooh! Yay," Trish exclaimed. " I bet you make a cute blonde."

" Ugh, I'm only doing the blonde cos its part of the colouring process."

" You should keep it! I bet it'll look great."

" You'll see it, don't worry." Piper laughed.

" Good, you're gonna go on record in the Diva's Magazine as being a blonde!"

Piper narrowed her eyes at Trish. " Don't remind me!"

The three girls continued to talk as there came a knock on the door. Amy got up and opened the door, Stephanie stood behind it, a slight smile on her face.

" Hi Amy, has Piper come back yet?"

" Yes she has," Amy said. " Hey, Piper, Steph's here."

Piper got up and walked to the door, smiling at Stephanie. " Hey, what's up?"

" You've got to try on a few outfits for tonight. Seeing as you're the newest member of "Evolution" you're going to be going through a major appearance change."

" Dammit," Piper mumbled under her breath. " NONE, meaning you Amy, and you Trish, is seeing me until tonight. I swear I'm gonna chop off Paul's head."

Amy laughed. " That's what you think. Who's to say we won't be sneaking around."

" Shut up!"

Amy stuck her tongue out at Piper as she left the room with Stephanie. They headed to Stephanie's lockeroom. When they got there, Paul, Randy, Dave, and Ric were all standing there, looking down at the outfits Stephanie picked out for Piper.

" OH HELL NO! Nuh-uh! NO FUCKING WAY AM I TRYING THIS SHIT ON WITH THEM IN HERE!" Piper screeched.

The four turned around simultaneously as Piper let out her scream. Redness quickly filled the faces of Dave and Randy and they shrunk back. Piper crossed her arms defiantly and tapped her foot. Stephanie stepped up to Paul and sighed.  
" Paul, can they go please? Just for a while. I'd be uncomfortable with them around if I were Piper too. No offense guys, but it's bad enough having Paul here." She said.

Paul rolled his eyes. " Fine. Guys, go on. I'll see you all later."

The three left, leaving it just to be Paul, Stephanie, and Piper.

" Okay Piper, this won't be too bad...let's hope," Stephanie handed her the first outfit. " Here. Try this on."

Piper sighed and took the outfit and stalked into the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her, staring at what they wanted her to wear. With more reluctance than usual when doing something Paul made her do, Piper changed into the outfit picked out. It was a pair of skin tight, low rider, flare legged jeans with a little belly chain as a belt, a pair of high heeled, strappy white shoes, and a black halter-top. Piper shook her head and walked out of the bathroom, glaring at Paul. Stephanie nodded in approval and looked at Paul.

" I like that one on her, it makes her look very ladylike." Stephanie said.

" I hate it." Piper spat flatly.

" No," Paul said. " Those pants are too tight."

Piper rolled her eyes and took the next outfit from Stephanie. It was a knee length black skirt and a baby blue top with long sleeves and a pair of baby doll shoes.

" I wore this shit when I was like ten." Piper muttered, walking out of the bathroom.

Stephanie cringed and shook her head. " No. She looks like a nun."

" I think that's what he was going for." Piper said.

" Shut up and go change." Paul said.  
" Look Paul, you tell me to shut up one more time and I'll stick my foot so far up your ass you'll be..."  
" Piper! Go!" Stephanie laughed, handing her the next outfit and giving her a push into the bathroom.

Piper rolled her eyes and walked back into the bathroom, the outfit this time was a mid thigh length red leather skirt with a black single strapped shirt. The shoes were high heeled with straps that tied up around her calves. Piper looked in the mirror and did a little twirl.

" I look hot in this," She laughed. " I could so rock this under normal circumstances!"

Piper walked from the bathroom and stood with her hands on her hips, giving Stephanie a look.  
" That is gorgeous on her! Come on Paul. That works for her."

" I guess so," Paul said. " Now go get some real damn make-up on already. Take that black shit off."

" Yes father." Piper said, rolling her eyes.

Paul grabbed Piper by the arm. " You've rolled your eyes at me one too many times. Don't you dare do it again, understand me?"

" Paul, first of all, get your hands off me before I kick your ass. And secondly, I am twenty-three years old. Twenty-three. Not two, okay. I don't need you to be my keeper and I don't need you watching me like a fucking hawk! Get over it! I'm a big girl now."

Piper ripped her arm out of Paul's grip and stormed out of the room. She walked down to the hair and make-up room where, coincidentally she ran into her newest worst enemy, Chris Irvine.

" Well, well. Ain't that a hot little number you're in," he said, circling her. " You're really giving Miss Keibler a run for her money with those legs of yours."

" Chris, drop fucking dead you asshole." Piper spat, pushing her way past him.

" You're such a little bitch you know that."

" Damn right I am. I wish you would just leave me the hell alone and go bother someone else!"

" I could do that, but you're just so cute when you're angry."

Chris smirked and ran the back of his hand across Piper's cheek. Piper slapped his hand away disgustedly and shoved him back.

" Fuck off!"

Piper turned around and started talking to the make-up girl. Chris started out the door but stopped and started checking out Piper's legs. He smirked and walked out the door.

" I didn't want to say anything with him in here, but what's the friction between you two? If you don't mind my asking."

" He's just an asshole. I can't stand him."

" He definitely was just checking you out when he left."

" See what I mean? I have a boyfriend and he's married and he's still checking me out."

" Oh. Who's your boyfriend?"  
" Jeff."  
" Really!? I thought that was just a storyline."

" Nope, we're really dating and my brother really can't stand it."

" That's sweet...but it stinks at the same time," The girl said. " So anyway, what can I do for you?"

" Just some "normal" make up. Anything but pink."  
" Sure. Anything but pink. Is light blue okay?"

" Yeah, that's perfect."

" Great. Hair too?"

" Nah, I'll just leave it down," Piper smiled. " What's your name? So I know who to thank."

" Micah."

" Okay. Do your magic Micah!"

Micah smiled and started with the make-up on Piper's face. After she was done, Piper smiled and thanked her, leaving the room, almost tripping on her shoes in the process. She went back to Stephanie's lockeroom and went in, as soon as she walked in, Stephanie's jaw dropped to the ground.

" Hold the phone! Who are you and where did Piper go?!"

" Not now Stephanie. I'm not in the mood for it. Chris just _touched_ me and I feel dirty."

" Huh?"  
" I ran into him in the make-up room and he was all flirting with me and checking me out and he touched me," Piper shuddered. " I just want this damn night to be over with. We got to the Carolina's after this and I am so ready cos me, Amy, Jeff, and a few others have a week off. Damn that'll be nice."

" I bet it will. So here's the scoop for RAW tonight. You're gonna end up being shoved out when Evolution comes to the ring and then Paul's gonna say something about you accompanying Randy to the ring for his match against Jeff. Amy will also be ringside during the match. You two are going cost Randy the match and the three of you are gonna leave ringside together and Paul snatches you up and takes you back to the Evolution lockeroom and you end up having to stay by his side the rest of the night, you even get so luck to accompany him during his tag match with Batista against Nash and Booker T."

" Oh fun! I get to be a valet tonight." Piper rolled her eyes.

" Don't worry. It won't be that bad. You get to interfere a lot."

Piper smirked a bit. " Great. So when am I out?"

" Beginning...towards the middle...and the end."

" Woohoo," Piper muttered. " I'm in the whole damn show."

" I didn't say anything about you being with RVD." Stephanie joked.

Piper laughed. " Ooh Steph, that was bad!"

" I know. Now get going! You've gotta be out there soon."

" Alright, later."

" Good luck!"  
" Thanks!"

Piper sighed and left the room, walking down to the entranceway. The four members of Evolution were standing there, Randy greeted her with a smile and she smiled back, standing next to him.

" You know what you're doing?" Paul said, not even looking at her.

" I'm not an idiot Paul. I fucking know what I'm supposed to do."

" Whoa Piper, down girl." Dave joked, patting her on the shoulder.

" How come you two are the only decent two in this group?"

" Don't ask. We can't even figure it out." Randy said, crossing his eyes.

Piper giggled and playfully pushed Randy's shoulder. Paul turned around and looked at them, raising an eyebrow. Piper and Randy continued to talk in a friendly manner as they heard the pyros shooting off for RAW and Triple H's music start to play. Randy and Piper shot one more joking look at each other as they began to exit onto the ramp.

****

" Looks like we're kicking off the night with Evolution." JR said.

" That's right JR and we all know who the newest member of Evolution is."

" Against her will."

" However! She's still a member of Evolution."

" Triple H's younger sister Piper was forced to join Evolution after loosing a match against Triple H last week here on RAW."

" You think she's here tonight JR? You think she's here with Evolution?"  
" I would think so King."

Meanwhile, in the ring, Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair were standing in the ring. Triple H had a smirk on his face the size of Texas, and a microphone in his hand.

" So I know all of you saw RAW last week and how I demolished my 'little sister'. And so I've got something I want you all to see," Triple H said. " Randy, bring her out here!"

" If I were Triple H, I wouldn't say I demolished her. She didn't quit once and gave Triple H a hell of a fight!" JR said.

The attention was turned to the stage. Randy's back was turned towards the ring and he was pulling on something, obviously having a great deal of difficulty. The form he was pulling on finally gave way and appeared. It was Piper, like no one had ever seen her before. She crossed her arms defiantly and refused to move when Randy pushed her. She shot him a death glare and started walking down the ramp. Piper walked down the ramp and up the steel stairs, Batista sat opened the ropes for her and she eyed him a bit, stepping through the ropes. As she did so, she inadvertently flashed the crowd a little peek at her backside, due to the shortness of her skirt. Piper crossed her arms and stood against the turnbuckles.

" Well. Piper. How does it feel to be a part of a group of **real** men?"

" GO TO HELL!" She yelled.

Triple H smirked and shook his head. " You've always had a smartass remark to say haven't you? You see Piper, things are gonna change around here, starting _now_. Since you lost our match last week, and you're now a part of the Evolution, I can keep an eye on you, make sure that you don't get out of hand, and most importantly, you aren't around that little freak-of-nature, Jeff Hardy."

Piper rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, snatching the microphone from Triple H.

" Ya know Hunter, you're really starting to annoy me. I don't need you and your lackeys 'keeping an eye on me', I don't need you, or Flair, or Randy, or Batista keeping your hawk eyes on me all day long. I'm a big girl you know. I can make my own decisions, frankly, I know what I'm doing in life and I don't need you ruining it."

Triple H went to grab the microphone from Piper but she snatched it away, shaking her head.

" I'm not finished yet! You and your little monkey's can just hold on. Now listen, you only won that match because you had these three with you. If it weren't for Batista, I woulda nailed your ass with the Swanton and you woulda lost the match and I wouldn't be here right now. You think I can't beat you, but guess what, I..."

Before Piper could finish her statement, Ric Flair grabbed the microphone from Piper's hand.

" You listen here, you need to learn a little respect. You can't strut around here like you're special, like you own the joint. Look little girl, you're just another face in the crowd. You should be grateful H gave you this chance! You should be thanking him! You..."

Piper rolled her eyes and took the mic back from Flair. " Let's get something straight. You are _not_ and I repeat, not my father, so don't try and act like it. Secondly, my name is Piper, not 'little girl' got that?"

Piper shoved the microphone to Flair's chest and crossed her arms, Triple H took the microphone.

" You listen to me! You better learn some respect if you plan on staying here so you better get your little attitude straight and start respecting us a little more. And you can start tonight when you accompany Randy here in his match against your ex-boyfriend."

Piper's jaw dropped, she rolled her eyes and shook her head, Triple H smirked and the Evolution began to leave the ring. As they were leaving, Batista held the ropes open for Piper, she looked at him quizzically and stepped through. Batista jumped down and helped Piper off the apron, only causing her to give him another confused look. He walked on and Piper followed Evolution up the ramp, shaking her head the whole way.

****

" Dave! Hey Dave!" Piper called.

" Yeah?"

" That was pretty out of character what you did out there, with the ropes."

" Yeah, I know, but I had to, I don't agree with what Paul is doing, so I decided to break character a little."  
" Thanks Dave, I really appreciate it."

" No problem kiddo."

Dave smiled and gently knocked the side of Piper's jaw with his knuckle. Piper laughed and started off down the hall. She went into the Diva's lockeroom where Lisa-Marie and Trish were. Trish's jaw almost literally hit the floor when Piper walked in. Lisa-Marie's eyes almost popped out of the sockets and Piper sat down.

" Not a word. Not a word for either of you." Piper said.

" Why not?! You look great!" Lisa-Marie said.

" Thanks, but _nothing _from you Patricia! I'll never hear the end of it from Amy! I don't need you too!"

" You look hot girl!" Trish gushed.

" Yeah, yeah. Shut up. This stuff is so uncomfortable. I feel like Stacy."

" Piper girl, I think you beat me!" Stacy laughed, walking into the room.

" Speak of the she-devil," Trish laughed. " Doesn't she look hot?!"

" She does! Now maybe this is just me, but did Dave break character out there the second ropes thing?"

" He did, he explained it to me afterwards."

" Aww, that's sweet. Piper's got all the guys chasing after her."

" Whatdaya mean all the guys?" Piper asked.

" Well! I'm not _supposed_ to say anything, but I was talking to Randy earlier and he thinks you're totally gorgeous! I mean he is totally crushed you're dating Jeff cos he thinks you're the hottest thing here."

" Randy's a cool kid, I like him, but not...like that y'know?"

" Yeah, Randy's alright, but I heard, and I can't confirm yet, but I heard that one of the new guys, the 'French' guys is crushing on ya too girlie." Amy said with a laugh.

" Eww! Which one? I hope it's not Rene, he annoys me!" Piper shuddered.

" No, it's the other one...I forget his name."

" Sylvan." Lisa-Marie said.

" Yeah! Him. He thinks you're a hottie."

" How do you three know all this?"

" We listen." They said.

" Geez, you freaks! Look, I gotta go find Orton, I'm accompanying him ringside. If either of y'all see Jeff, tell him I love him okay?"  
" Err...Aimes, you can field that one," Trish laughed. " I love ya girlie, but ... I'm not going as far as to tell your boyfriend you love him for ya yet."

Piper laughed and jokingly blew her three friends kisses. " I love y'all too," She grinned. " See y'all later."

" Later babes, good luck with Randy."

" Huh?"  
" Valeting," Amy said. " You really are blonde under there aren't you?"

" Shaddup."

Piper stuck her tongue out at Amy and left the room. As she was walking from the room, a pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist. Piper screamed before her mouth was covered and a southern voice echoed in her ears.

" I've been given strict instructions to kidnap you by Jeff Hardy."

Piper whirled around and came face to face with Jeff's brother Matt.

"For goodness sake's Matt! You didn't have to go all insane stalker on me! You coulda just said 'Jeff wants to see you' instead of scaring the hell outta me!"

" Sorry. I just thought it would add a dramatic effect."

Piper rolled her eyes and followed Matt to wherever he was taking her to see Jeff.

" Seriously though Matt, you didn't have to do that. It was totally uncalled for."

" Okay princess! I get it."

" I forgive you this time, but the next time you call me princess, I'm gonna kick your ass."

" Yes ma'am."

" Matt...shut the fuck up."

Piper laughed and followed Matt the rest of the way down the hall. They stopped in front of a corridor and Matt pointed. Piper shrugged and walked down the corridor. She looked around and called out for Jeff. A tattooed arm reached out and grabbed her. Piper shrieked, spinning around and tripping on her heels. Piper fell into someone's arms. She looked up and saw Jeff staring down at her. Piper stood upright and slapped Jeff's shoulder.

" Ouch! What was that for?"  
" You Hardy Boyz today! Damn! Matt scared the shit outta me and now you! For fuck's sake can't you two just be normal?"

" Hmm...me, normal?"

" True, but your brother is another story!"  
" I'm sorry. Look I just wanted to say I love you and give you a kiss before the match...since I guess that won't be happening out there."

" I love you too baby but I get to cost Randy this match, but I've gotta go back with Evolution."

" See what I mean?! Every time I get you they always take you back. We never get a moment alone."

" Baby, I've been saying that since we started dating, and it's not fair. The good thing is that we get a week off next week and we'll get to go to North Carolina and be together _alone_ for an entire week. After that, I'll be gone in Cancun for a week for the location shoot with the Divas."

" You're gonna get me a few of those pictures of you in those sexy bikini's right?"

" Maybe." Piper said teasingly.

" Ah, c'mon! I gotta see 'em."

" Buy the magazine."

" That's not fair!"

" That's how everyone else gets to see 'em."

" But...I'm your boyfriend. Don't I have a bit of entitlement?"

" No."

" Damn."

" I don't know if I'll get to keep any of the prints."

" Okay, but if you do, get me one?"

" I will. Promise."

" Good. Now can I have a kiss?"

" You don't even have to ask."

Piper smiled and plated a kiss on Jeff's soft lips. The two stayed that way for a little while before they broke away. Piper sighed and started to walk away before Jeff called to her.

" Hey! You look hot in that skirt!"

Piper rolled her eyes and flipped Jeff off. He laughed as she walked away, calling 'I love you' after her.

***

" The following contest is scheduled for one fall, first, from St. Louis Missouri, weighing in at 245 pounds, accompanied by Piper, RANDY ORTON!"

Randy walked down to the ring with his usual cocky look slapped on his face and Piper trailing uninterestedly behind. They got into the ring and the black lights came up.

" And his opponent, weighing in at 215 pounds, from Cameron North Carolina, being accompanied by Lita, JEFF HARDY!"

Jeff and Lita danced their way down the ramp and slid into the ring. The lights came back up and the opponents stood on opposite sides of the ring. Piper looked sorrowfully across the ring at Jeff before Randy ushered her out of the ring. Piper glared at Randy and stepped under the top rope. She jumped down from the apron and Lita did the same on the other side of the ring. The bell sounded and the men locked up in the center of the ring. Slowly but surely during the match, Piper and Lita migrated towards each other and started talking.

" King I wonder what Piper and Lita are talking about."

" Who knows JR but can you believe the legs on Piper?! They've got to be longer than Stacy's!"

" King can you think about something other than Piper's legs?"

" Why would I want to?"

Piper and Lita both jumped up on opposite sides of the ring. Lita distracted the referee and Piper caught Randy's attention. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed his head into the turnbuckle. Both women jumped down from the apron as Jeff picked up Randy and gave him the Twist Of Fate and went for the cover, picking up the win.

" Here is your winner, JEFF HARDY!"

The referee raised Jeff's hand and he rolled out of the ring. Lita and Piper high-fived and hugged as Jeff walked up to the two and grabbed Piper, planting a big kiss on her.

" First Matt Hardy gets Lita now Jeff Hardy gets Piper! How come these Hardy Boyz have all the luck?"

" King I don't know if I'd call Jeff Hardy lucky."

" Why not? Look at Piper!"

" Look at the ramp King! Here comes Triple H!"

Lita alerted the couple and the three jumped over the security wall to avoid Triple H. They went through the crowd and got away from Triple H but ran into Batista and Ric Flair.

" Here's where the train stops kids. Now we can do this the easy way and you two freaks can vacate and let Piper come back to where she belongs or we can do this the hard way and there can be a little fight."

" Looks like a fight." Jeff said.

" I don't care if I am wearing a skirt, I will still kick both your asses!" Piper said.

" I'm with them. Looks like you two losers are out numbered."

" Aren't you three cute. Let's cut the crap. Piper lost to the champ last week, she's part of Evolution now. So, she's coming with us." Ric said.

" And just who is gonna make me? You or the flying monkey?"

Piper crossed her arms and smirked. Batista stepped up to her and easily grabbed the diva from her feet. Jeff went to help her but Ric sprayed him in the eyes with a fire extinguisher. Jeff fell to the ground with his hand over his eyes. Lita ran at Batista and chop blocked him in the knee. He stumbled down but didn't release Piper. Lita went to hit Batista again but Flair smashed a steel chair over her head. Lita crumbled to the ground and Batista stood back up, carrying Piper over his shoulder. Jeff started to get up and blindly swing his arms around but the steel chair came crashing down on the younger Hardy's skull just as it had Lita's. Piper screeched and punched at Batista's back in her attempt to get him to let her down.  
" LET ME GO!" Piper screamed.

Batista and Ric walked off with Piper slung over Batista's shoulder. She screamed and kicked and punched at him but it didn't phase Batista at all. Later on in RAW, the cameras came back into the Evolution lockeroom. Piper sat in a chair across from Randy, her arms crossed and a quite angry look on her face. The other members conversed and Piper made it her mission to keep away from the rest of the group. Piper got up from her seat and walked towards the door Triple H grabbed her by the arm and shoved her back to the seat.

" Where exactly do you think you're going?"

" Can't a girl go get a drink of water without having her brother on her case? Geez Hunter, lay off!"

" Not if it's you. I don't trust you. Randy, go with her."

" Go with her? Hunter don't you think that's a bit much. She can get a water right around the corner." Randy said.

" I said go with her."

Randy shrugged and got up and walked out the door with Piper. She shook her head with her arms crossed and snatched a water bottle from the chest of ice and went back to the lockeroom. She sat back down and took a short sip before Triple H addressed her, saying something that obviously annoyed her while at the same time informing her that she would be accompanying him ringside during his match with Batista. Piper looked at him crossly but a curt little smile crossed her lips.

" Of course Hunter. No problem. I can do that."

Triple H looked at her strangely as Piper rose from her seat, twisting the cap of her water bottle off at the same time. She smiled at Hunter and walked up in front of him, turning the bottle upside-down and pouring the entire thing all over his head and suit. Piper smirked and tossed the bottle down and walked out of the room. All the while fuming, Triple H ordered Batista and Randy after her. Piper ran as fast as the heels on her feet would let her go without tripping. She hadn't gotten far before a pair of arms grabbed her around the waist and snatched her from her feet. It, of course, was Randy Orton with Batista close behind. Randy carried Piper back to the Evolution lockeroom and they made her return back to her seat. Soon enough the main event rolled around and Triple H and Batista were on their way for their tag match against Kevin Nash and Booker T. Randy, Ric Flair, and Piper were the ones to accompany Evolution down to the ring while their opponents had Shawn Michaels in their corner. Throughout the match up, Piper had kept to herself but had managed to interfere as much as possible without the other members of Evolution getting all over her for it. Towards the end of the match, HBK had interfered and so had Flair and Orton. HBK had knocked both of them out with the Sweet Chin Music and the referee, typically, was also knocked out. Triple H was getting up while Nash took care of Batista. HBK went to super kick Triple H but Piper jumped into the ring and got him to stop. Piper smiled at HBK and without a care about what she was wearing, gave Triple H an acid drop and followed it up with his very own Pedigree. HBK and Kevin Nash and Booker T all looked amazed, yet smirked approvingly as Booker T, being the legal man got the cover on Triple H while Nash revived the ref and they picked up the win. With a smirk and a flick of her hair, Piper exited the ring and walked up the ramp, receiving a few nasty glares from the other members of Evolution and RAW cut for the night.

***

As soon as she got backstage, Piper took a running start down the hallway. She sprinted back to the Divas lockeroom and flung the door open. She greeted her fellow divas and quickly got changed into a pair of black hot pants and the 'Los Guerreros' shirt that she was given earlier that was so long it covered her pants and made it look as if she weren't wearing anything underneath it, before sitting down for a moment and giving herself time to breathe.

" You look like you just ran a marathon, P." Lisa-Marie said.

" I feel like it. I swear if I've got to run anymore tonight, I'm gonna keel right here in this arena."

Amy laughed. " And that wouldn't be good. You ready to head to the Carolinas?"

" Definitely! An entire week off alone with Jeff," Piper swooned. " This is gonna be the best week of my life!"

" Down girl,"Amy laughed. " You two be good now."

" We will! Promise."

" Hey girls, got a question." Trish said suddenly.

" What?"

" What do you all think of Gail Kim?"

Piper shrugged. " I dunno, I haven't talked to her."

" She's alright. I had a short encounter with her today, but not much." Amy said.

" Lisa Marie?" Trish asked, turning her head to the side.

" I don't care for her."

" I think she's okay. But I dunno. Maybe we just gotta adjust to her."

" Yeah, y'all had to adjust to me."

" But you were an easy adjustment Piper. You're awesome. You're easy to talk to."

Piper blushed. " Aww! Well thank you!"

" Well, let's got collect the Carolina crew and get outta here," Amy said. " We've got a week long vacation to enjoy."

Piper nodded excitedly and collected her bags and hugged the remaining divas in the room as she and Amy left. The tracked down Shane, Matt, Shannon, and finally Jeff and the six of them left the arena and headed off to the airport. On the flight, Jeff and Piper sat together, Shane sat with Amy, and Matt with Shannon, the three groups were in a row going back and Jeff and Piper were in the center between the two. Piper lifted the armrest on the inside of the seat and cuddled up on Jeff's shoulder. Jeff smiled down at her and put his arm around her and half-hugged her tightly. Amy nudged Shane with her elbow and pointed at Jeff and Piper in front of them. Shane smiled and Amy giggled softly, mouthing to him 'Aren't they cute?'. Shane nodded in agreement and ruffled Amy's hair playfully. Piper had managed to fall asleep on Jeff's shoulder during the flight to North Carolina. As the flight landed, Jeff gently nudged his sleeping girlfriend and she stirred awake.

" C'mon, we're here."

Piper nodded and they all exited the plane. Jeff shouldered both his and Piper's bags and walked out to the parking lot, remembering how he went back on his self-vow never to leave his car and airport parking for long periods of time and started searching for his prized black Corvette. Piper trudged tiredly behind as the others went their own ways. Jeff perked up as he saw his car and from a distance, it looked untouched. He looked it over quickly with a smile and fished his keys out of his bag and unlocked the trunk, tossing the bags into it. Piper leaned against the passenger side door and closed her eyes lightly before Jeff walked around to her side and laid a short kiss on her lips. Her eyes snapped open and she smiled tiredly as Jeff opened the door for her. Piper got into the car and unlocked Jeff's door as he jumped in and they peeled out of the parking lot. It was a long three-hour drive from the Raleigh airport to Cameron and Piper slept the entire way, while Jeff was quite wide awake. As he arrived at his house, it was about six at night and the sun was starting to go down. Jeff left Piper to sleep in the passenger seat as he ran the bags inside and came back to get her. Jeff stood staring into the car for a second, contemplating how he was going to lift her out of the car without waking her up. Jeff shrugged and put one arm behind her neck and the other in the place where her knees bent and gently lifted her from the seat, shutting the car door with a sideways thrust of his hip. Jeff nodded happily as Piper didn't wake a bit and he carried her to the house.

" Well Jeffrey, I wish you had've told me you were come home carrying a girl across the threshold."

Jeff turned around and laughed. " Hey Dad."

" Who's this?"

" This is Piper, my girlfriend."

" Why don't you take that poor girl inside? It's cold out here boy."

" I was on my way," Jeff said. " It ain't that cold yet."

" It'll get cold. G'on and take that girl inside. Liger's missing you."

" Ah, I thought he would be."

Jeff walked into the house and his Dad followed. He laid Piper down on the couch before his dog, Liger came running at him.

" Were they okay these few weeks? Did you have to drop by much?" Jeff asked, scratching Liger behind the ears.

" No, not much at all."  
" Thanks a lot Dad, y'know I appreciate it."

Jeff smiled at his father and continued to play with Liger. The dog began to bark loudly and Jeff attempted to quite him down since Piper was still sleeping. Piper groaned softly and stirred and sat up a little, rubbing her eyes.  
" Jeff?"

" Hey sweetie," Jeff said, slightly strained, holding Liger by his collar. " I dunno if you're awake enough yet, but that's my Dad. Daddy, this is Piper."

Piper shook her head a little and smiled at Jeff's Dad. " Nice to meet you sir."

" Call me Gil darlin', nice to meet you too."

Piper smiled and pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. Liger trotted up to Piper and barked at her. Piper laughed a little and reached a hand out and petted the dog.

" I think he likes you baby." Jeff smiled.

Piper smiled as well and Jeff went off to talk to his Dad in the kitchen. Piper played with Liger for a while before Jeff and his Dad came back in and Jeff's dad left. Jeff flopped down on the floor and spread his arms and legs out with a sigh.

" Home...sleep...MY bed...my beautiful girlfriend," Jeff ranted and winked up at Piper. " It's gonna be so nice."

" It is." Piper smiled.

She crawled down from the couch and curled up on the floor with Jeff. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

" I love you Piper."

" I love you too."

The two stayed cuddled up with each other on the floor. Eventually they both fell asleep, ignoring the world around them and letting the dream world engulf them. The two didn't wake up again until the next morning, at the crack of dawn. They both had gone to sleep so early that waking up at the earliest point of the day wasn't a hard thing to do for them. Jeff smiled and disentangled himself from Piper and walked to the kitchen. He took down a glass from the cabinet and opened the fridge, taking out the carton of orange juice. Jeff poured a glass and walked back into the living room, sitting down on the floor with Piper. She rested her back against the couch and smiled over at Jeff. He took a short drink from the cup and offered some to Piper. She nodded and Jeff held the cup up to her mouth and took a drink from it.

" Where the hell did you learn to be so damn romantic?"

" I dunno, I think it just came naturally."

" I need to talk to Amy."

" Why?"

" She's colouring my hair this week we're here."

" Ooh, that's right. You're gonna be my bleach blonde baby."

" Shut up."

" Hey! Don't get all mad. I think you'll be gorgeous."

" I didn't want to go back to blonde ever again but I'll be in the history books of my first diva shoot as a blonde. Bleach blonde at that."

" I think it'll be cute."

" You're crazy. I wouldn't go blonde if it weren't part of the colouring process."

" You'll look great and I'm sure you'll look extremely sexy in those tiny little bikinis."

" No one said they'd be tiny." Piper argued.

" They could be."

" Whatever. I'm gonna go change cos I'm tired of these shorts riding up my ass."

Jeff laughed. " Can I see?"

Piper giggled and pulled her shirt from over her butt and wiggled it at Jeff. He laughed as Piper grabbed her bag and ran up the stairs.

" Hey Jeff. Where are your towels?"

" In the linen closet in the bathroom."

Piper shoved her bag into Jeff's room and started up a shower. She washed off quickly and jumped out, drying herself off. She walked into Jeff's room and put on her short tartan skirt with the safety pins in it she had got from Hot Topic on one of her and Amy's random trips to the store and a midriff shirt that had long sheer sleeves and that flared off at the end. She dug a pair of black flops out of her bag and slipped them on and went back downstairs, throwing her hair up in a bun.

" Hello! That looks hot!" Jeff whooped with a laugh.

" Thanks." 

" So ya wanna go out today? Just you and me before you set off with Amy on your hair colouring trip?"

" Definitely. I mean, you're my boyfriend, we've gotta have dates."

" Yes. Then lemme go de-stink myself and I'll be back."

Piper laughed. " Alright then smelly."

A/N: Oy...what a way to end a chapter...ugh, I apologize for the weirdness at the end. I've had MAJOR writer's block with this story. As much as I love writing it, I'm blocked up for ideas. So if anyone's got an random suggestions, shoot 'em my way, review or send 'em to amethyst@nuclear-cherub.com. I'd appreciate it and I'll hand out credits to whosever ideas I use =D. I'm a bit tired right now so that may add to my writers block ... meh. Anyway, I'll stop babbling now.


	12. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 12

" Amy, are you gonna do my hair today or tomorrow?" Piper asked, swatting Jeff's hand away with the phone cord.

" Tomorrow, cos I need to get the dye and I need you with me and I'm going out with Shane today."

" Ooh! Out with Shane huh?"

" With Shane?" Jeff shouted.

Piper kicked at Jeff. " Go feed your pets!"

" Yes out with Shane, is that a problem?"

" No, it's just that you never told me you and Shane were involved."

" That's because we're not. We're friends."

" Sure Aimes, but I know relationships when I see them. I thought you were with Matt."

" I was, but we decided to split up."

" That's interesting."  
" Don't give me that," Amy snorted. " I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight. Will you and Jeff be awake?"

" Shut up. I'll be up, I can't speak for Jeff, but I'll be up."

" Alright, see you tomorrow chicky."

" Later."

Piper hung up the phone and walked back into the living room with Jeff. He was sitting on the couch playing with Witty and Imagi. Piper at next to him and looked over, Jeff had Imagi wrapped around one of his arms and Witty sitting atop his head. Piper laughed as Jeff handed her Witty from atop his head. Piper smiled and took the small animal and played with it for a while before placing it back onto Jeff's head, giving him a peck on the cheek.

" Can we go somewhere today?"

" Sure, where do you want to go?"

" I dunno, you gotta remember, I've only ever been to Raleigh."

" Right. Remind me why I want to show you the beautiful sights of rural Cameron...we got nothing. We've got fields and farms...that kinda stuff. My house is probably the strangest thing you'll see in this tiny little town," Jeff said, rolling his eyes halfway through his speech. " But that's kinda why I like it. It's like Cheers; everybody knows your name. I like to know that I can be the strangest thing some people will ever see. It can make the most boring of lives interesting."

" Jeff...do you realize what you just said made no sense whatsoever?"

" Yes. I do."

" Okay, just making sure."

" So what do you wanna do? I'd take you to Raleigh but you know what that's like."

" I don't know."

" How about we ... err ... God dammed landlocked Cameron or I'd take you to a beach...and if I remember correctly, and I probably don't so don't take my word for it, the closest beach we got is Myrtle Beach in South Carolina."

" That's too far."

" We could go to Nags Head...hey, that's a beach," Jeff laughed. " But it's five hours away."

" Isn't there just some place we can go that's not five and six hours away?" Piper asked.

" There is its called Raleigh."

" Honey, I'm sure there's some places in Raleigh you can take me I've never been to."

" There's not really a lot to Raleigh. But we could go up there and walk around downtown or something."

" Jeff, how about you show me what Cameron has to offer?"

" You really wanna see that?"

" Yeah. Jeff I wanna see what your hometown has to offer, I mean, your special babe and your hometown is a part of that special-ness and strange personality of yours and that probably sounds really sappy but that's the hopeless romantic part of me speaking but I'd like to see Cameron."

" That's great. I'll take you around, but I gotta warn you, it's kinda slow."

" That's fine. I Think it'll be good and I'd like to see it."  
" Cool, lemme go grab a shirt and I'll be right back."

Piper smiled as Jeff ran upstairs to get a shirt to wear. He came back and the couple left. They got into Jeff's Corvette and Jeff backed out of the driveway, leaving his house. The two drove around Cameron for most of the day. Jeff showed Piper his old schools and places where he and his friends used to hang out, and places they went to wrestle on some days. He showed her the place he used to take his old girlfriends and of course, took her there. There was a big oak tree in the middle and a small wooden bench. On the part of the tree facing the bench there were three names carved in, but scratched away in the bark.

" I scratched them out good," Jeff laughed, touching the bark. " Man...bad times."

" What'd they say?" Piper asked.

" I dunno. Can't remember," Jeff shrugged and pointed at the last one. " That said Beth though, I remember that one."

(A/N: I hate doing these in the middle of a fic, but I just had to point this out, that I *hate* using Beth references, but nothing else was coming to mind at the moment. I don't normally do that, but...it's just the thing that I thought of at the moment.)

" Oh." Piper said.

" Well, the past is the past, now it's your turn."

Jeff kicked at a small patch of dirt at the base of the tree and a metallic something glinted in the ground from the sun shining down on it. He bent down and dug out a little flick knife from the ground. Piper laughed a little as Jeff blew the dirt off of it. He flicked the knife out and started to carve PIPER into the tree. Piper watched quietly as Jeff carved her name as artistically as he could into the tree. After he finished he flicked the knife shut and put it back where he dug it up and buried it again.

" There. Now you're with the elite."

" Gee...that makes a girl feel good." Piper said, raising her eyebrow slightly.

" But by far the best."

She smiled. " And that makes her feel even better."

Jeff laughed and put his arm around Piper as the walked back to his car. They pulled away from the spot and went off to get something to eat. After they left the restaurant they went back to Jeff's house. Jeff and Piper went inside and sat down together on the couch. Jeff got up after a while and took Liger down to the basement and the rest of his many pets to their respective cages. He came back down to the couch and opened his arms for Piper to climb into. She settled comfortably in his arms and laid back. Jeff stroked her hair and kissed her temple softly.  
" Was that alright for a date?"

" Yes. It was wonderful."

" Good, I hope it was, did you enjoy Cameron?"

" Jeff, I enjoyed it. It was fun and a wonderful date okay. You don't have to ask."

" You're wonderful babe. Absolutely wonderful."

" Back at ya."

Piper and Jeff sat on the couch and talked for most of the night, just as they did for most of the day. After a few hours, Piper had fallen asleep in Jeff's arms. He smiled and picked her up and carried her upstairs. Jeff laid her down in his bed and kissed her forehead. He pulled a pair of long flannel pants from the floor and undressed before putting them on. Turning out the light in the room, Jeff laid down and put his arms around Piper. She snuggled up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder and rested comfortably against him and soon after Jeff drifted off to sleep. Piper woke up the next morning bright and early, Jeff's arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiled up at him and brushed his hair from his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose before snuggling up with him. Before she could fall asleep again the phone rang. With a groan, Piper sat up as much as she could and looked around for the telephone. She found it sitting on the stand above their heads and slowly wriggled it from its cradle.

" Hello?"

" Hey chicky! You're up!"

" Aims...just barely...frankly, I don't even know how I got up here."

" I carried you. Now go back to sleep." Jeff said in a grumpily muffled voice.

" Was that Jeff?"  
" Yes, he's half asleep. What's up?"

" It's quarter to eight, I'm gonna be there in fifteen minutes."

" SHIT! I forgot! Okay, I'll be ready by the time you get here."

Amy laughed on the other end. " Alright wild child, I'll see you when I get there."

" Okay, later."

" Bye."

Piper hung up the phone and laid back for a second, whilst trying to pull Jeff's vice grip from around her waist.

" Baby...let go. I gotta move." Piper whispered.

Jeff just groaned and moved his arm, flipping over to his back. " Where are you going? It's 7:45?"

" Amy's gonna be here in fifteen minutes, we're doing the bleach thing today."

Jeff mumbled something and rolled over on his side with his back to Piper. She laughed and gave his bare side a tickle before walking to the bathroom. Jeff sat up with a groan and sat on the edge of his bed, groaning he looked at the clock.

" Fuck...it's too early."

Jeff groaned and put his head down as Piper came rushing back into the room. She grabbed her bag and rolled it back into the bathroom.

" You can change in here y'know," Jeff called. " It's much easier than lugging that thing back and forth."

" That's what you think." She called back.

After a moment or two, Piper came back out of the bathroom wearing a pair of tight black pants and a hot pink fishnet top underneath a black top with holes cut in it. Sliding her feet into her black Westchester Vans, Piper faced with her back to Jeff and tapped his knee.

" Can I have a zip?"

Jeff looked up and was basically face to...rear with Piper's lacy red thong and unzipped pants. Needless to say, he was awake now. Jeff took hold of the zipper and pulled it up, securing Piper's thong beneath her pants.

" Red...nice choice."

" Hush and be glad I let you see it," Piper said turned around and planted a passionate kiss on Jeff's mouth. " Amy's gonna be here in like two seconds and I gotta go. Love you honey."

" Love you too babe."

Piper kissed Jeff once more and ran down the stairs. Just as she hit the last step, she heard a horn beep. She called upstairs to Jeff and left the house, locking the door behind her. Piper waved at Amy and got into her car.

" On time!" Amy laughed.

" Just barely, I was on the last step when you honked."

" Ah well, close enough."

" So what on the agenda for today?" Piper asked.

" Well, I got a big bottle of peroxide, a self-limit of 60 bucks for hair-care products and an entire day of nothing. You make the call babe."

" Let's go for the bleach first, obviously, or do you wanna just hang for a while?" Piper said.

" I think we should probably just go for doing the bleaching first cos we gotta sit you out in the sun for a while."

" Well damn, I shoulda brought a bathing suit, we coulda gone sunbathing." Piper joked.

" Aww, I've got one I've never worn you can wear," Amy laughed. " That would be so awesome, but it's kinda cool out."

" Yeah, but who cares. It'd be fun."

" No doubt. Let's do it!"

Amy and Piper got back to Amy's house at about 8:15 and promptly changed into a couple of bathing suits and headed to Amy's kitchen to do the initial bleaching.

" Alright chicky, head over the sink."

Piper took a deep breath and followed Amy's instructions. Amy tossed a towel over Piper's shoulders and put on a pair of gloves, opening the bottle of peroxide.

" Here we go babe, no turning back now."

With a last sigh from Piper, Amy poured the bottle over her head, rubbing the liquid into her roots. Amy kept working the peroxide into Piper's hair. After a while, the black was started to quickly ooze out of Piper's hair and a clear bleach blonde took its place. Amy rinsed the left over black dye and peroxide from Piper's hair and looked it over before giving it a quick wash. Amy dropped the towel over Piper's head before leaning against the side of the sink.

" Are you done?"

" Yep. All done," Amy said. " Now, outside!"

The two women went out into Amy's backyard and grabbed a couple of lawn chairs and Amy ran back inside and picked up a couple of water bottles and her bag of Guacamole flavoured chips, and came running back outside.

" Chips?"

" Yeah! Thanks girlie."

" Your hair looks great Piper. I knew you'd make a great blonde!"

" I'll have to get used to it I guess," Piper said, looking at a chunk of her still wet, newly coloured hair. " Blonde isn't my style, but I'm sure I'll adjust."

" It looks good," Amy took a drink from her water bottle. " The colour we're doing next is gonna look awesome on you. It'll bring out your eyes and all that good stuff."

" Ya think so?"

" Definitely."  
" I hope so. Thanks Aimes."

" No problem. Jeff's gonna love it, I'm sure."

" He thinks it's gonna look great, he's the optimistic one."

" You two are the cutest couple, honestly."

" Amy Christine Dumas! You are full of sugar today," Piper laughed. " So what's going on with you and Shane?"

" Promise not to say anything?"

" Promise."

" Okay. Shane and I are kinda...item-ish."

" Item-ish?"

" Yeah, we're kinda 'dating' sorta. It's been that way for the past few weeks."

" Aww! That is so awesome! You and Shane and Jeff and I should go on a double date this week."

" That would be awesome! We so have to do that."

" Yeah girl! We've gotta do that."

Amy and Piper lounged in the sun in her backyard for the next few hours, talking about random things, goings-on in the company and other stuff. They talked about different things for the next few hours before going back inside to change into clothes. The two left and took off towards Raleigh. They went to a mall in the city and picked up some of the hair products they needed for later, colours and such. After a quick stop in Hot Topic, they left and headed back to Amy's house. Just as soon as they walked in the door, Amy's telephone rang. Tossing down the bags she had, Amy picked up the phone, flopping down onto the couch.

" Heylo?"

" Aims!"

" Hey Jeffro, what's up?"

" Nothin, did you guys just get back?"

" Yes? What's wrong, been too long without your girlfriend?"

" Yes," Jeff laughed. " How's her hair look?"  
" Phenomenonal, if I do say so myself."

" I'm sure it does. I miss her."

" You're such a sap," Amy laughed. " Hey Piper, c'mere. Jeffy misses you."

Piper laughed and took the phone from Amy. " Hey baby."

" Hey love, how do you like your hair?"

" I'll have to do some adjusting, but I'm sure I'll like it fine."

" Great. So, when will you be back?"

" I dunno, probably later today."

" Aww, you've been gone all day long, I miss you. I wanna hold you."

" Ooh, Jeff, you're so sweet, don't worry, Amy hasn't kidnapped me."

" I hope not," Jeff paused. " Hang on a sec, I gotta write something."

" Ookay..."

Amy mouthed at Piper 'what's he doing?' and Piper shrugged, making a gesture as if she were writing back. Amy laughed and walked into the kitchen.

" Okay, sorry about that. You gave me an idea."

" I did?"

" Yeah...a lyric more like."

" Ah, I see."

" Yeah, you know me, inspired by anything and everything."

" Yes, I know. Look baby, I gotta go, Amy and I are gonna go grab something to ea..."

Piper paused, looking to Amy, who was waving at her from the kitchen.

" To what? Babe." Jeff asked.

" Hang on a sec," Piper pulled the phone down and covered the bottom of the receiver with her hand. " What Aims?"

" Ask him about doubling tonight." 

" Ooh right," Piper smiled. " Hey Jeff."

" Yo!"

" Amy wants to know if you wanna double tonight."

" Double what?"

" Date, you doofus!"

" Did you just call me a doofus?"

" Yes, I did. Now, do you want to?"

" Err...sure. I got nothing else to do today...but I still can't believe you just called me a doofus."

" I did, get over it," Piper laughed. " Now, are you fit to come out of the house?"

" Yes, I'll take a shower, if that's what you mean," Jeff laughed. " But Amy and Matt split up, who's she going with?"

" It's a surprise, now go shower."

" Alright, alright. I'll see you two later."

" Bye baby."

" Love you."

" Love you too."

Piper hung up the phone and smiled a little. Amy laughed and sat down next to her friend.

" That was too cute," She laughed picking up the phone again. " I'll call Shane and see what he's doing."

Piper nodded and tied her hair up in a ponytail as Amy got a hold of Shane. He wasn't doing much of anything and was glad to get out of his house.

" So....where are we meeting them? Shane's house? Your house? Jeff's house?" Piper asked.

" Y'know, I knew I forgot something."

Piper laughed as Amy picked up the phone to call Shane again. She talked to him for a while, before hanging up with the information she needed.

" We're gonna meet at Shane's do you wanna call Jeff, or should I?"

" You probably should, we could be on the phone for hours."

Amy laughed. " I'm sure you two could be."

Picking up the phone again, Amy called up Jeff. The phone rang a few times and Amy started to wonder if he'd drowned himself in the shower. Finally, Jeff picked up and Amy informed him of their rendezvous spot before hanging up with him. The two hung around Amy's house for a bit longer before leaving to head to Shane's. They arrived, before Jeff to no one's surprise and went inside. Shane let the two girls in and had them sit down. As soon as they did, a cat that had been sitting in the window of the kitchen jumped down and strode into the room, hopping up into Piper's lap.

" Dammit Oreo," Shane groaned. " Get down!"

" It's alright, Shane. I'm a cat person," Piper laughed, holding the cat in her arms. " I love animals."

" You and Jeff, and Amy alike." Shane said.

" And you don't," Amy said. " Then why do you have your two cats, then?"  
" I never said I wasn't an animal person. I just don't have as many as Jeff, or anything as big as you, Aims."

" Hey, I've had Cody for so long, and you can't say anything about it. Plus, Mason is new, and he's only a puppy." Amy said with a definite nod.

Piper laughed. " I haven't met Mason yet Amy."

" Oh he was probably upstairs. Don't worry you'll get to meet Mason sometime soon."

Piper held Shane's cat for a little while longer before Jeff showed up.

" Hey! Not too late this time Jeffro." Amy joked, patting her friend's shoulder.

" Yeah, well y'know. I'm working on this time management thing," Jeff joked, walking over to Piper and putting his arm around her. " Your hair looks great."

" Thanks, Amy did a great job."

" I _knew_ there was something different about you Piper," Shane exclaimed. " I just couldn't pinpoint it!"

" Well gee Shane, the last time you saw me my hair was jet black, and you see me today and it's bright blonde, I think you may notice something was unlike me right off the bat."

" I knew there was something different but..."  
" It's the fungus growing on top of his head," Amy interrupted jokingly. " It's really affecting his brain."

" Shush, Amy!"

" So, are we getting outta here or what?" Jeff asked.

" Yeah, let's go...wait...who's car are we taking?" Piper said.

" And where are we going?" Amy asked.

Jeff and Shane both looked at each other, shrugging.

" Guess we didn't think of that," Jeff said. " But it was y'alls idea!"

" Hey! Don't pin this on us, whatever happened to chivalry? Aren't the guys supposed to take care of the girls?" Piper said, folding her arms.

" We can take care of it...no problem."

The four settled in on Shane's couch and wound up watching a series of random DVD's from Shane's wide collection. They ordered in Chinese and ended up just staying in instead of going out for a huge double date, which, obviously, saved the boys some money. After eating their fills and sprawling out on the floor, Shane put in The Lord Of The Rings and they all settled down to watch. Jeff laid on his side with his back against the couch and Piper laid with her back against his front, laying her head in the crook between his neck and shoulders, just beneath his chin. Jeff wrapped his arm around her waist, lying his head on his other arm. On the other side of the room, Shane laid on his stomach and Amy atop his back, her arms spread out on top of his and her head resting to one side of Shane's. The two couples rarely moved from the positions they were in as the movie played on before them. Every so often, the other sound except the movie was the sound of a slightly smacking kiss that Jeff felt so compelled to lay on the side of Piper's neck. She would giggle or look up at him and return his kiss, placing hers on the underside of his chin and snuggle back against him, returning her attention to the movie. After the movie ended, Jeff and Piper took their leave from Shane's house, leaving he and Amy to the rest of their evening. Piper and Jeff went back to his house and almost immediately went upstairs, changing into their respective pajamas and snuggling in Jeff's bed. Wrapping one arm tightly around his girlfriend's waist, Jeff reached out and twirled a strand of her light hair around his fingers with a smile.

" It looks wonderful baby, honestly."

" Thanks. I'm sure Paul's gonna be jumping for joy since I got the black stripped out."

" Who cares what Paul wants? It's your life baby, live it the way you want it."

" Jeff, that sounds really sweet and romantic right now, but I'm just not able to do what I want to while I've got him breathing down my neck."

" I know, hun. I'm sorry but at the moment there's nothing we can do about it. Things will work out though, we just gotta stick it out _together_."

--

" I can't believe our shoot got cancelled for this week." Trish sighed, leaning against a packing box.

" Trish, we can't help it. At least we'll get rescheduled for later." Piper said.

" Yeah, you're right. I was just hoping to get to go to Cancun," Trish laughed. " Your hair looks great, girlie."

" Thanks. Amy kicked ass on it."  
" That she did. So, how'd you spend your week-long vacation?" Trish asked.

" I had a great time staying at Jeff's house. Sleeping in his bed and lounging in his arms." Piper said with a grin.

Trish smiled but her face quickly paled. Piper waved her hand in front of Trish's face jokingly, but a hand grabbed her arm tightly, flinging her around. Piper's face paled just as Trish's had only a few short moments ago as she came face to face with her brother, who's grip on her arm was tightening like a vice grip.

" You. Did. What?" Paul growled, twisting her arm back.

" OUCH! Paul let go! You're hurting me!"

" Paul, let her go!" Trish exclaimed.

" Look, Trish, this has _nothing_ to do with you," Paul snarled. " Now you can go ahead and leave."

" She can stay if she wants," Piper shrieked. " Let me go!"

" Shut up," Paul said, jerking Piper's arm back more. " Trish you can leave, NOW!"

Paul glared at Trish as she started walking away backwards. She gave Piper a helpless look before starting off further down the hall. Paul pulled his sister closer to his face, roughly repeating his question.

" Now, tell me what you said. What. Did. You. Do?"

" I said I spent the week with Jeff..." Piper said softly, looking away, not wanting to start a war with her brother at the moment.

" Why would you do that, huh? After everything I said. WHY would you go behind my back again," Paul growled at her again. Letting her arm go. " It wouldn't surprise me if you slept with him. You slept with the little freak, DIDN'T YOU PIPER?!"

Piper looked hurt, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

" NO," She yelled. " I..."

Paul cut his sister off, back-handing her across the face. Piper cried out as she fell to the ground, holding the side of her face.

" You know Piper, there's just some things about you I don't believe." Paul said, looking directly into Piper's water-filled green eyes.

Piper blinked as the tears fell down her face. Her cheek was still throbbing and red and she stayed crumbled on the ground, weeping softly to herself. A few workers walked by, maybe too busy to notice her there crying but after a while, someone stopped in front of her, putting their hand on her shoulder.

" Hey...you alright?"

Piper sniffled and lifted her head slightly, wiping her eyes vigorously. They were puffy and red and her cheek was starting to form a small bruise from the velocity of Paul's hit. Piper looked up and saw Shane McMahon, kneeling next to her. Shaking her head, Shane put his arm around her and looked at her face.

" Piper? That you?"

Nodding again, Piper simply sniffled.

" What's wrong, Piper? Are you okay? Want me to take you to see Steph?"

Piper sobbed, but nodded as Shane helped her up off the ground. Helping her walk, he led her to Stephanie's lockeroom. Before they even got there, they could hear screaming coming from inside, halfway down the hall.

" PAUL WHAT WERE YOU THINKING," That shriek obviously belonged to Stephanie. " SHE'S A GROWN WOMAN, LET HER LIVE HER LIFE!"

" Maybe this wasn't a great idea, how about we take a detour and you tell me what happened?" Shane said.

" Yeah.." Piper whispered, nodding weakly.


	13. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 13

" So, are you gonna be alright?" Shane asked, patting Piper on the back.

" Yeah, I think I'll be alright." Piper sighed.

" Good. Listen, I gotta go, so take care of yourself sweetheart, alright."

" Yeah. Thanks a lot Shane."

" No problem."

Shane ruffled Piper's hair and walked out of the cafeteria. Pulling her legs up on the bench she sat on, Piper rested her chin on her knees, sighing deeply. Tears started to fall down her cheeks again. After a few moments of her sitting alone, someone came walking up behind her. They sat down on the bench where Piper was sitting as she looked up. She saw Amy sitting in front of her, and Trish walked in behind her. Amy put her arms around Piper, resting her head on her shoulder. Trish sat behind Piper, putting her arms around her friend's waist, leaning against her shoulder.

" Are you alright?" Trish whispered.

Piper shook her head and sniffled as Amy got up and went to grab a napkin, wiping Piper's face with it.

" C'mon P, you can tell us what happened."  
" Yeah, we're your girls. You can trust us." Trish said, pulling Piper's hair back.

" I just told Shane," Piper sniffled. " I don't feel like talking about it anymore."

Just then, Stephanie came bursting into the cafeteria. She was visibly angry, yet sympathetic at the same time. Stephanie knelt at Piper's side with her other friends, resting her hands on her knees.

" Shane told me what happened," Stephanie whispered. " I'm sorry Piper, I'm so sorry."

" What happened?! Piper isn't up to talking about it, but we really want to know what happened." Amy asked anxiously.

" After I left," Trish put in. " All I know is Paul was yelling, and that's it."

" Do you mind if I tell them Piper?" Stephanie asked.

Piper shook her head as Stephanie stood up, ready to tell Amy and Trish what had happened.

" So as I guess, she was talking to Trish in the corridor and Trish apparently asked Piper what she did over her vacation and she said she was with Jeff and Paul walked up behind them and started yelling at Piper and chased Trish away and then Paul ...accused Piper of sleeping with Jeff."

Piper sobbed as the words came from Stephanie's mouth. Amy and Trish's mouths both dropped to the ground instantly. Trish gave Piper a great squeeze and Amy hugged her as well. The tears dripped down Piper's cheeks freely. She sniffled hard as her three friends crowded around her.

" He doesn't get it," She whispered. " I did sleep with Jeff...but I didn't have sex wit him. I just _slept_ with him."

" In a literal sense." Stephanie said.

Piper nodded. " I hate him...I really do."

" Babe, we know you're upset, but you really can't say that, can you?" Trish said.

" I can," Piper sniffed, sitting up. " I can. I hate Paul! I hate him with every single shred of my being, he's made my fucking life here a living hell, and it's not fair. He's been on my back ever since I learned to talk and I'm tired of him! I can't fucking grow up and I'm fucking twenty-three! It's not fair he's got to be living my life for me because he knows he can't control me but he's just _got_ to try anyway! It's not fair! He jumps down my throat because my boyfriend is a little different. Because he's not a fucking mainstream preppy, country club boy and he hates the fact that I'm different too. But he's just going to have to get over it, because I love Jeff, and there's nothing that's going to change that!"

" Piper, I don't think any of us can say we know how you feel, but we're sorry. I don't know if there's anything we can do about it, but...whatever we can do to help, believe we'll be there for you chicky," Amy said, hugging Piper tightly. " We're on your side, aren't we girls?"

" Definitely!" Trish and Stephanie chorused.

The girls all crowded around Piper in a big hug. Sniffling back the rest of her tears, Piper pulled a small, yet slightly grim smile. Stephanie had to go off and finish up some work, so the other three divas linked arms and traveled back to the Diva's lockeroom with the other girls. Piper wound up sharing her story with the curious minds of Nora, Lisa, and Lisa-Marie. Those three joined into the huge group hug and took turns hugging their friend. After a while, much of the angst was lifted from the air and the conversation became much lighter as the girls began to laugh and joke around, each taking turns cracking on Paul. It made Piper feel better, just to be with her friends and able to laugh. They hung out in the divas lockeroom until it was almost time for RAW and Piper had to leave to get her wardrobe for the night. Tonight, they gave her a shirt white skirt and a black top with strappy white shoes. Slowly, she made her way back to the Evolution lockeroom but instead, ducked into the nearest women's restroom she came across to change. When she put on the sleeveless top they had for her, Piper noticed a large bruise on her upper arm. Piper fought tears back and sighed as she finished dressing. Leaving the bathroom, Piper hurried back to the Divas lockeroom and put her street clothes away and trudged back to Evolution's lockeroom. Randy was standing up against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed, like he was thinking about something. Dave was sitting on the couch in his own world with his headsets on and didn't notice Piper walk in. Ric and Paul were nowhere to be found, much to Piper's relief. Randy opened his eyes and blinked a few times, smiling at Piper.

" Hey," He said. " How are ya?"

" Been better." Piper said, going to sit on the couch with Dave.

" Woah! What happened to your arm?!" Randy asked.

All the sudden action about him finally shook Dave back to reality. Slipping off his headsets, he looked up.

" Hey kids. What's up?"

" Nothing." Piper said quickly.

" Nothing my ass," Randy spat. " What happened to your arm?"

" Jesus! That's huge," Dave exclaimed, jumping up. " Who did that?"

" And your cheek too." Randy added softly.

" It was Paul, okay? Who the hell else would do this?"

Randy sighed. " When?"

" Earlier," Piper muttered. " You guys don't have to be concerned."

" Too late for that," Dave said, putting one of his large arms around Piper's shoulders. " What new got stuck up Paul's ass today?"

" He heard me say I spent my week off with Jeff."

" In what sense of the word 'with' do you mean?" Randy asked.

" As in I stayed at his house. We went out a few times and that's it. But of course, Paul thinks there's more to it."

" But there's not...right?" Randy said.

" No, there's isn't."

" So what'd Paul do it for?" Dave asked.

" Because he hates Jeff."

" Why?"  
" I don't know Dave! He just hates him. He fucking backhanded me earlier because I said to Trish that I spent the week with Jeff. That's how I got my face and arm bruised."

Randy shook his head and sighed. " That's pathetic."

Piper nodded. " I've been saying that for a long time."

" Look, you know Randy and me are here for you kiddo." Dave said, giving Piper a squeeze. " Even if it is against Paul."

" Thanks guys, I appreciate it." Piper said, smiling.

" No problem. Now, what the HELL happened to your hair?!?" Randy exclaimed, grabbing a chunk of it.

" I bleached it, what's it look like nerd?" Piper laughed.

" Why? The black was so you."

" Amy and Stephanie talked me into dying it brown with red highlights and the black needed to be stripped out."

" You don't look right blonde," Randy cringed, shaking his head. " Not that you don't look beautiful now, but the black seemed right."

Piper smiled, patting Randy's shoulder and Dave simply laughed, shaking his head.

" Thanks Randy, I appreciate it."

" N...no - err- don't mention it." Randy stammered.

" Randy you're acting like a lovesick teenager," Dave laughed. " Piper, you look great."

" Thanks guys. Y'all are really decent, I appreciate you two always sticking up for me."

" No problem, you're like the Princess of Evolution, we gotta protect you." Dave laughed.

" I wouldn't call her the Princess of Evolution, Dave. She hates it." Randy said.

" Yeah, but she's still like our 'princess' so to speak, being the only female, y'know."

" Thanks again Dave, but I think I'll stick to being Jeff's Gothic Queen." Piper replied.

The three amicable members of Evolution stayed and talked in the lockeroom before Paul and Ric entered the room and things fell uncomfortably silent. Piper took a seat on a bench beside Randy and Dave protectively planted himself beside her. Paul glared at Piper but she refused to even look in his general direction. The silence wasn't broken until RAW started for the night. Cameras hurried into the room to start shooting one of the first segments for RAW.

---

" Listen you..." Triple H said, shooting a look at Piper.

" Hm, I could have sworn my name is Piper...not you." She spat.

" Just shut your mouth and listen. You've got a match tonight, against Lita. Since she just came back, maybe you can put yourself to some use and take her out again."

" Excuse me? Lita is my _friend_ I'm not going to purposely take her out of action again!"

" Friend? Lita's your friend, huh?" Triple H said.

" Yes, she's my friend, did you not hear me?"

" Don't pull that attitude with me you disrespectful little brat. You go out there and win a match, is that clear?"

" No, Hunter, it's not. First you go and tell me that you want me to take Lita out again and now you tell me that you want me to just win the match? Which do you want me to do?"

" JUST GO OUT THERE AND WRESTLE!"

Piper didn't jump a bit but calmly left the room. After a while, the Evolution theme - that she was forced to start using, played. Shaking her head as she went down the ramp, Piper wore a pair of Trish Stratus-like, sparkly red pants, a black midriff top and black wrestling boots.

" The following contest is now a Divas Tag Team Match, per order of RAW Co-General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin! First, in the ring, from Nashua, New Hampshire, she is a member of Evolution, Piper!"

Piper stood in the ring, a surprised and puzzled look on her face as "Lovefurypassionenergy" started to play.

" And her tag team partner, Lita!"

Lita bounced out onto the stage, doing her little dance as she smacked hands with the fans. She ran the rest of the way down the ramp and slid into the ring, doing her poses. She stood with Piper, shaking her out of her surprised state.

" This whole match came about when Molly Holly and Gail Kim demanded to get their hands on Lita. So Co-GM Stone Cold Steve Austin, turned this match into a tag team match between these four divas." JR said.

" JR this is the only thing I have to thank Austin for, and that's making a tag team match with these divas! Puppies galore, JR!"

Molly's theme started to play and the two walked out, posing at the top of the ramp.

" And their opponents, the team of Gail Kim and the WWE Women's Champion, Molly Holly!"

Molly and Gail ran down to the ring and immediately came at their opponents. Molly went straight at Lita, while ordering Gail to take down Piper. Molly and Lita exchanged punches as did Gail and Piper. Piper nailed Gail with a forearm and looked at Lita. The divas nodded and simultaneously took their opponents down with standing monkey flips, rolling back into mounted punches.

" Wonderful synchronization by Piper and Lita!" JR exclaimed.

The referee pushed Piper and Gail to their corners as Molly and Lita fought it out in the center of the ring. Lita kicked Molly in the midsection and gave her a swinging neckbreaker. Lita dropped a knee into Molly's stomach, followed by another one. Going for a quick cover, Molly kicked out after two. Lita tagged in Piper and held up Molly as Piper kicked Molly in the midsection. Lita let go and ducked out of the ring as Piper tossed Molly across the ring by her hair. Piper followed it up with a quick dropkick to the side of Molly's head. Piper pulled Molly over and went for a pin but Gail came in and broke up the cover after a two count. Lita jumped in the ring and attempted to help Piper, but the referee pushed her back to her corner, allowing Gail and Molly to double team Piper. Piper attempted to fight back against the double team, but Molly gave her a solid kick to the stomach, making her fall to her knees. Gail jumped into the ring, posing a little before getting on top of Piper again, giving her a hard snapmare over. Gail grabbed Piper's arms and pushed her knee into Piper's back, stretching back on her arms.

" Gail Kim is trying to really torque Piper's neck here. Piper needs to get up to her feet and turn this around." JR said.

" I think Gail's confused, she's focusing on the wrong Diva's neck. That's Piper, not Lita, Gail!" King pointed out.

Gail let go of Piper's arms, slamming her face first into the mat. Lita pounded on the bucklepad, chanting Piper's name along with the crowd. Gail ran over to her corner and attempted to knock Lita off the apron, but Lita ducked and hung Gail on the top rope instead! Gail flew back and landed hard on her back, giving Piper a chance of her own to knock Molly out of the way. Gail was making it up to her feet and Piper tagged in Lita who came in and quickly dropkicked Gail in the face, going for a pin. Molly came in to break it up, but Lita saw her coming and rolled out of the way, allowing Molly to drop the elbow on Gail instead. Piper grabbed Molly and gave her a hard reverse DDT before dragging her up to her feet again. Lita pulled up Gail and kicked her in the stomach as Piper did the same to Molly. Both divas looked to each other before sharing a smile and doing the patented pre-Twist of Fate yell, and hitting Gail and Molly with the move respectively.

" Stereo Twist of Fate by Lita and Piper! These divas are absolutely on fire!"

Piper drug Molly over to Gail and placed her on top, pointing at Lita, then the top turnbuckle. Lita nodded and climbed up, hitting a perfect moonsault on both women, picking up the win for her team.

" Here are your winners, Lita and Piper!"

---

" Psst! Psst! Piper!"

As Piper and Amy came backstage, she heard that voice calling to her. Spinning around, she felt a hand grab her around the bruise on her forearm. She cried out and snatched her arm away, ready to slap the person that grabbed her, before Amy caught her arm.

" Woah girlie! It's Jeff, calm down!"

Jeff appeared slightly out of a shadow with a puzzled look on his face.

" What's wrong?" He asked.

" My arm...it's bruised." Piper said softly, turning to show him.

" Damn! How...nevermind, I know. Shane told me all about it, are you okay baby doll?"

" Yes Jeff, I'm perfectly fine." Piper said sarcastically.

" Hey, hey. Don't get snappy with me. I'm on your side, remember? Look, I know there's nothing we can do about this right now..."  
" It's not just right now Jeff. It's all the time. I'm sick of it and I know you are too. Look, I don't wanna talk about this right now, I've gotta go and change back into my "Evolution wear" cos I have to valet for Randy tonight. I love you."  
" I love you too baby, be careful, alright?"  
" I will."

Jeff kissed Piper gently on the mouth before walking away. Piper sighed and went back to change again before reappearing in the Evolution lockeroom. Randy explained to her what he was supposed to do for the night and she agreed to it, albeit slightly reluctantly, but agreed to it anyhow. All the members of Evolution were called to the ring as Randy went out to challenge his next legend to "kill".

---

" Y'know, now that I've taken out HBK, and the Not-so Fabulous Moolah, I think it's high time for, Randy Orton The Legend Killer to take out another legend. Unfortunately for the RAW brand, there aren't really anymore legends, so..."

Before Randy could finish, the fire pyros went off and Kane started down the ramp. The male members of Evolution but Piper looked at them in disgust, standing her ground. Kane got into the ring, glaring at Piper before pushing her out of the way to get at Randy.

" Hey! I sad a _legend_ okay, not a freak, got that? You're not even in my league..."

Again, interrupting Randy, Kane grabbed Randy around the neck, but only to have the other Evolution members attack him. He fought them off easily, flinging them every which way. Piper kept her distance from Kane, staying off in the corner.

" Kane is continuing his rampage all over RAW until he can get his hands on Shane McMahon again and it continues with Evolution tonight!" JR said.

" Piper better watch herself, Kane doesn't care if she's female or not." King said.

" You're absolutely right King!"

The males of Evolution were scattered around the ring and Piper continued to try and keep her distance but, seeing there was still a standing form in the ring, Kane stalked towards Piper. She shrieked and tried to get out of he ring but Kane grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back into the ring. Piper shrieked again as Kane took her around the neck, kicking Randy away as he got to his feet to try and help her but suddenly, the lights went out and started flashing red and a loud CRASH. This lasted about a minute before the lights came back on and all the men of Evolution, and Kane were laid out in the center of the ring, but Piper was nowhere to be seen...and the ring was covered in red...

---

" Hey! No one told me the Brood thing was going down so soon." Piper said as Jeff left her on her feet backstage.

" Us either. The told us maybe five minutes ago," Adam said, giving Piper a hug. " Nice to see you again, kiddo."

" You too, Copeland. So what happened to the rest of the group?"

" Well...we couldn't get Gangrel back, don't ask why, I don't even know, so it's just the three of us, but not bad, eh?"

" Definitely not. Sounds like a good time." Jeff said.

" It does," Piper said. " But I'll catch you two later, I gotta go change."

Both men nodded and Adam gave Piper a big hug, and Jeff kissed her gently before she walked back to the Divas lockeroom. There weren't any girls in there for the moment, before the door swung open and Stephanie walked in, smiling at Piper.

" Hey Steph, strange seeing you in this lockeroom."  
" I was looking for you, Jeff and Adam told me you came this way."

" Awesome. So how come the Brood thing is going down already? I thought that wasn't for a while."

" Well, my father thought Evolution was getting stale and normally putting a female in a stable like that helps spice things up, but in this case, obviously viewers would rather not see you as a part of Evolution and we needed to speed things up and get you out of it, so we decided to let your Brood angle come around earlier."

" I've got no problem with it, but isn't it kinda abrupt?"

" Oh, no! We got word about the photo shoot and it's going to start tomorrow actually, a few strings got pulled and now it's on again. You're leaving right after RAW. And it'll have a week or so to build up, doing promos with the guys and such."

" Sounds good to me. I've always wanted to go to Cancun so I can't wait for this photo shoot," Piper smiled. " But I am glad the Brood is coming back and I can be a part of it, it'll be great to work with Adam and Jeff."

" I'm sure! It's great to have Adam back finally." Stephanie agreed.

" Yeah. I'm glad to be working with my Jeff again, without Paul being in the way," Piper said. " So am I getting a name change to go along with my new persona?"

" Yes, actually. We're going to be changing it to Vivica and the guys are supposed to call you Peril as a pet name because well...you're perilous to their opponents," Stephanie laughed. " Jeff's gonna become Dimitri and Adam stays Edge."

" Vivica," Piper smiled. " I like that name."

" It's very pretty. Jeff did helped pick it out but, he was really pulling for Patience."

" I know, he told me all about how he loves that name."

" Right, so if you want to see him before you leave for the photo shoot, you better change and go now, because after Amy's match, you divas are outta here and on the way to Mexico."

" Cool...are we meeting the SmackDown! divas too?"

" Yes, you'll all meet in Mexico."

" Great, I'm gonna change and kiss my boyfriend since I won't be able to see him for a week."

" That'd probably be a good idea, I'll see you later then."

" Later Steph."

Stephanie smiled and walked out of the room. Piper got up and dug through her bag, pulling out a pair of red UFO pants and one of Jeff's logo shirts, shoving her feet in her Vans, she packed up the rest of her things into her bag before heading off towards the guy's lockeroom and knocking lightly on the door. It creaked open and Randy was standing there, hair drenched.

" Smell better?" Piper laughed.

" I guess, and getting that red crap outta my hair. JEFF tipped half the bucket on my head!"

" SORRY!" Jeff yelled from inside, getting a few laughs from the other guys in the room.

" Yeah, sorry I'm sure," Randy laughed. " Looking for something...or someone?"

" Jeff, I wanna talk to him for a while."  
" Alright, be careful."  
" Yes Father," Piper laughed. " Send him out already."

" Sure," Randy laughed as well, shaking his head. " Hey Jeff, someone wants you to come out and play."

Piper kicked at Randy and laughed as Jeff came sliding out of the room. He put his arm around Piper's shoulders and they walked off in to one of those dead end corners and leant against the wall together. Jeff put his arms around Piper's waist, leaning his head against her shoulder and she did the same, kissing the side of his neck. Jeff pulled Piper back and smiled at her, gently cupping her face and gave her a soft lingering kiss. Jeff put his arms around Piper tightly, giving her a little squeeze.

" So I heard your shoot is back on." Jeff said finally.

" Yeah, we're leaving after the last women's match and I won't see you for an entire week."

" But you won't see Paul for an entire week either."

" I know and that's a plus but I want my boyfriend."

" That's why the telephone was invented, love. I can call you everyday, y'know." Jeff said.

" I know sweetie. It just doesn't seem the same without seeing you face to face. It's not like I get to see you that often anyway baby."

" I know Piper, but I want you to have fun in Mexico, hear me? Think about me and I'll call you, I promise."

" Okay Jeff. I'll think about you everyday."  
" I'll think about you too darling."

" I need to call you before I go to bed, so I can hear your voice before I fall asleep." Piper whispered, kissing the front of Jeff's neck softly.

" Alright, I'll leave my cell on then."

" I love you Jeff."  
" I love you too Piper."

The couple kissed once more before coming apart again. Jeff smiled softly and kissed Piper's forehead. They walked up the corridor and checked to see if the coast was clear before walking out hand in hand. Piper stopped off at the Diva's lockeroom to meet with her fellow divas, kissing Jeff good-bye for a week. Jeff walked away backwards, blowing her a kiss before smiling and turning down another corridor. Piper sighed and walked into the Diva's lockeroom where Lisa, Jacqueline, Stacy, Terri, Gail, and Jackie Gayda were. Amy, Trish, Lisa-Marie, and Nora were out in the ring having a match at the time. They were going to be meeting Dawn Marie, Nidia, Torrie, Rena, and Linda in Mexico whenever it was they arrived there. After the match was over, the four remaining RAW divas went and changed and they headed off for the vans to get to the airport. Piper, Trish, Amy, Lisa-Marie, Lisa and Stacy were in one van. Jacqueline, Terrie, Gail, Nora, and Jackie Gayda were in the other. Their luggage was all piled into a third van, except the things they wanted to take on with them on the ride to the airport and on the plane. In the back of the first van, Piper, Amy and Trish piled in together. The second seat up, Stacy, Lisa, and Lisa-Marie piled in. The three divas in front constantly turned around to talk to the three behind them until Piper managed to fall asleep, her head somehow ending up on Amy's shoulder. One by one, each diva started to nod off on the way to the airport, having nothing much else to talk about. Stacy was the first to wake up again, rousing everyone else when they arrived at the airport. The six divas all seemed to yawn simultaneously and scooted out of the van, claiming their luggage from the last one and filed into the airport. As soon as they dropped their luggage off to be put onto the plain, Piper was slightly startled by a ringing coming from her pants.

" Hey Piper, your pants are ringing." Stacy laughed as Piper dug down to retrieve her phone.

" Hello?"

" Hey."  
" Jeff! I've been gone half an hour and you're calling already. You miss me that much baby?"

" You wouldn't believe it. Randy's making fun of me cos I'm calling you already."

" Tell Randy Orton I say to shut his pie hole or I'm gonna rearrange his top teeth."

" Ouch! Hey Randy! Piper says shut your pie hole or she's gonna rearrange your top teeth."

Piper laughed, hearing Randy screaming something in the background, Jeff laughed too.

" Randy's crazy," Piper laughed. " But look babe, we're about to get on the plane so I gotta get going."

" Alright Piper. Call me when you get to Mexico, okay?"

" Sure. I love you Jeff."

" I love you too honey. Have a safe flight."

" Okay. You too! Bye."  
" Buh-bye."

Piper flipped her phone back down and went with her fellow RAW divas to security to get everything checked out. Once they were all cleared to go, the divas boarded the plane. Trish, Piper, and Amy piling into one set of three seats together, the other divas behind or in front of them. Piper was sitting on the window side, Amy next to her in the center, and Trish on the isle. The three talked amongst themselves for a while before Trish and Stacy got into a discussion about ring attire across the isles. Amy stuck her headsets on and was jamming candidly to A Perfect Circle and Piper followed suit sliding on her own headsets. She rummaged through her carry-on and retrieved a CD that was a mix of things her friends made her before she went of to the WWE. The first song she set on repeat, "Meant To Live" by Switchfoot. After a few times listening to the song, she started to realize how much it reminded her of Jeff.

"_Fumbling his confidence   
And wondering why the world has passed him by   
Hoping that he's bid for more than arguments   
And failed attempts to fly, fly_

We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
Somewhere we live inside   
Somewhere we live inside   
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
Somewhere we live inside   
  
Dreaming about Providence  
And whether mice or men have second tries   
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open   
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken

We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
Somewhere we live inside   
Somewhere we live inside   
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
Somewhere we live inside

We want more than this world's got to offer   
We want more than this world's got to offer   
We want more than the wars of our fathers   
And everything inside screams for second life, yeah  
  
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
We were meant to live for so much more   
Have we lost ourselves?   
We were meant to live   
We were meant to live"

After a while, Piper had drifted off to sleep again, lying her head on the window. The plane ride seemed to have many hours shaved off of it, and obviously due to the long nap Piper fell into. Amy shook her awake after a while and told her that they were landing in a few minutes. Piper yawned loudly and pulled out her cell phone to check the time, but of course, it'd be different, they were going to Mexico, from New York. Shrugging, she dropped it back into the pocket of her pants and took her headsets off, shoving them back into her carry on.

" Ready for this Piper?" Lisa-Marie asked, turning around in front of her.

" I dunno, Lis, this is something I've never done before."

" You'll do great, I'm sure."

" Thanks, girlie."

Lisa-Marie grinned and settled back down into her seat again and Piper turned to Amy who was putting away her own headsets.

" So," She said, flinging her hair back up. " Fill me in on the Brood thing babe, what's going on?"

Piper laughed. " Well, according to Vince, I'm being taken out of Evolution because the stable was getting stale. Apparently, the norm is that putting a female into a group like that will 'spice it up' so to speak and that just wasn't helping because the fans apparently want to see me out of Evolution. So since they couldn't get Gangrel back it's going to be just me, Adam, and Jeff."

" Name changes?"

" Jeff and I. Jeff's going to be called Dimitri and I get to be called Vivica. The guys are going to call me Peril because as Stephanie put it, I'm "perilous" to their opponents. I get to be a little crazy, a little psycho, a little punky, and a little goth all rolled into one."

" Sounds like fun chica," Amy laughed. " Let's see if we're partners or enemies."  
" Hopefully partners, I'd hate to have to beat ya up." Piper winked, giving Amy a nudge.

" Beat _me_ up? Girl you're crazy!"

" Oh! Am I?"

" Ladies, ladies. Calm down, if anyone's doing the ass kicking around the women's division, it's me, babes!" Trish piped up with a giggle.

" You? Ha! I'm the women's champ! I'm the one that's going to be handing out the ass kickings!" Nora added.

" Yes, you've lost your mind," Lisa-Marie laughed. " I'm the _original_ psycho diva on RAW, my turn to kick some butt!"

" But what you all fail to realize is that, newbie's luck, I've held the belt too. Y'all are going down!" Piper exclaimed.

" Ladies and gentlemen," A voice over an intercom said. " We will be landing very soon, so if you would please return to your seats and buckle your safety belts, we will be touching down in Mexico in just a few moments."

The group of rowdy divas settled down just a little and buckled up as the plane landed in their destination. After being ushered off the plane and collecting their bags, they were shown off to another set of vans to take them to their villas for their weeklong adventure in Cancun, Mexico.


	14. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 14

A/N: Okay, how much does this suck? I had this chapter started and it was pretty far along, but of course, it gets ruined! My brother knocked over an entire super sized Root Beer on top of the disk that this story (among other things I've been working on) were on and everything was _totally_ destroyed. This _sucks_! So I have to start everything over, absolutely over. Who knows when that'll actually happen, but, I'll have to do it *sighs*. Not to mention, I had a virus in my computer and had to get it reformatted...twice. Gah! Well, I've at least started this chapter over so apologizes if it's kind of...blah and short, I'm trying to get things restored, and I'm coming up with a new fic (John Cena) as I type this not to mention that I just got my computer upgraded to Windows XP so I don't know what I lost or what I still have. Anyway here goes trying to get this chapter back together!

----

" Piper! Wake up girl! The shoots are starting at noon today!"

Amy bent over her friend and shook her a little before heading off to the bathroom. Piper groaned and flung the covers off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up. She stretched and yawned, as she walked over to the window to open it. Pulling open the brown, wooden shutters and let the morning light pour in. Piper leaned against the window, breathing in deeply. The day was bright and the wind was blowing softly, enough to ruffle her hair gently. The bathroom door clicked open and Amy stepped out. Piper turned around and smiled as Amy put her things back into her bag and Piper took over the bathroom to get ready. After showering and washing her hair, Piper put on a pair of short shorts and a midriff top. Amy was now standing in the window staring down out of it, yelling to someone.

" We'll be down soon, I'm just waiting for Piper!"

" I'm right here, Ames." Piper said with a laugh, putting her long wet hair up.

" Ooh," Amy laughed. " Alright, give us a minute, we'll meet ya, Trish."

" Okay!" Trish called up, waving.

" What are we meeting Trish for?" Piper asked, grabbing her bottle of suntan lotion.

" We're gonna go meet Stacy and Lisa-Marie for breakfast, you up to it, chicky?"

" Definitely, I guess I won't need this quite yet, then." Piper tossed her suntan lotion onto her bed and slipped her feet into a pair of black flip flops.

Amy and Piper set off from their room in the villa and headed downstairs to meet Trish, Stacy, and Lisa-Marie. Once they met up with their fellow Divas, they took off to find a restaurant to eat at. Once they found one and got settled in, they sat and talked waiting to be served.

" So girls," Trish started. "...Anyone got anything conversational to say?"

" I think...I think we should all get totally shit-faced tonight." Piper laughed.

" Really? Why didn't I expect that from you, Piper?" Lisa-Marie laughed.

" Who knows, maybe I'm just the innocent looking one." Piper giggled and twirled a strand of hair around her index finger.

" Ooh yes, you're just a perfect little angel," Trish joked. "I'm finding that harder to believe than you opting to get shit-faced tonight."

" Fine, be that way y'all. I was just trying to make it _seem_ like that, y'know. I'm just making it an illusion."

The divas all laughed as a waiter came up to the table to take their order. After the waiter left, they resumed their conversation.

" So Piper, I bet you probably get tired of talking about this, but I'm not filled in, what was up with the red thing...on RAW last time we were there." Stacy asked.

" Oh, it's great, we're reforming The Brood. I get to be the first woman in the Brood ever. I get to be all gothic and psycho. It's gonna be so much fun. And they get to call me Vivica." Piper replied.

" Awesome! That sounds like so much more fun than Evolution," Stacy laughed. "Do we still get to do our feud?"

" I'm pretty sure, I think that'll be great fun too."

" What feud? When are you feuding with Stace?" Trish asked.

" We get to have a cute little 'beauty feud', as Stephanie called it. Over who's-got-the-longest-legs-in-the-company. We get to have a whole bunch of beauty contest type matches, bra & panties matches, bikini contests, that sort of thing." Piper said.

" It's gonna be so much fun! I haven't had a really good feud with a girl since WCW."

" We'll make it rock, Stace, don't worry about that."

" So whose legs _are_ longer?" Lisa-Marie asked.

" Mine." Stacy and Piper said at the same time.

" Nu-uh, Stace! Mine are longer than yours!" Piper argued.

" I know, it's just kinda like reflex," Stacy giggled. " I'm so used to being able to say that! You stole my title!"

" Sorry Stace, they came in the package that way." Piper laughed.

The group of divas continued to talk as their food came. After eating, they left the restaurant and headed back to their villa with the other divas to get ready for the days photoshoot. Piper was sent to hair and makeup to get ready for her individual pictures. They were all sorts of cameras around, some for taking still pictures and others for getting footage of the girls for the new divas DVD, of course.

" Alright Piper, after Dawn's done grab her spot and they'll get you in a suit for your starting pictures." One of the tech girls said after her hair was finished.

Piper nodded and chatted a bit with Nidia, as they were both trying to avoid the camera crew for the DVD. Nidia was called off for her pictures and Piper hooked up with Stacy to try and avoid more cameras, but to no avail. The two divas got caught on the DVD camera and decided to put on a show for the camera, joking and smiling before Piper got called out for her fitting. The first suit they dressed her in a light blue suit that was a normal string bikini top but the bottoms were shorts that were short enough to show all of her legs but long enough to cover the necessary parts. Piper was taking her pictures by the water that day and there were a few huge waves crashing behind her, she had her hair down and it was curled, lying gracefully at her shoulders.

" I thought your hair was black, Piper."

" It was, but Amy and Steph talked me into dying it. So at the moment I'm a blonde." She replied.

" Looks good on you."  
" Thanks."

Piper's pictures were for the most part serious but after a while she got to loosen up and take a few that were a little more laid back and fun. After taking a series of pictures in that bikini, she moved on and was changed into a red thong bikini with a string top and her hair was pulled up out of her face. There were a couple of strands hanging down but they were curled and still slightly out of the way. She was led to a location that was surrounded by the water as well as a large abundance of flowers and trees. The scene was colorful and lively. As her shoot progressed, she was in different locations around that area, striking a series of what the photographer proclaimed 'gorgeous' pictures.

" You may just beat Trish for the cover this year, Piper."

Piper smiled with a slight shrug as she was given another suit to change into. This one was all black with silver rhinestones along the straps of the top. They had her take her hair down again and let it flow with the wind. Piper stood against a large tree, leaning against it with her left arm above her head and her right one behind her back. The waves behind her were crashing rapidly.

" Hey Piper, lets get a few pictures in the water!" The photographer said.

" I swear...if this water is freezing..." Piper laughed.

Piper walked out towards the shore and cautiously waded into the water. Before she got too far out, a huge wave crashed in front of her. She jumped back a little before going further in.

" Alright Piper, that's far enough!"

Nodding, Piper turned around and started to pose, before more waves started crashing.

---

At the end of her shoot, Piper ended up freezing and nearly soaked to the bone. As the left the location to get back to the villa, she was wrapped up in a towel and one of those silver foil-like blankets. They arrived back at the villa and Piper immediately ran to her room to take a hot shower. After showering, she changed into a pair of pink UFO pants and a black midriff top with her name written on it in silver letters. After she got dressed, Piper pulled her cell phone from her suitcase and turned it on. She had at least four voice messages from Jeff. All from around the same time. Most of his messages were him saying he loved and missed her. The fourth was an accident and a conversation about something strange with Randy. After listening to his messages, she laughed slightly and called him.

" Hey! Jeff here, obviously, anyway, I'm not around right now so leave me a message and I'll get back to you ASAP! Peace!"

" Jeff. Hey honey, it's Piper. I was just returning your calls. I miss you loads baby. The girls and I are having great fun here but I can't wait to get home and be in your arms. I don't think I'll have any pictures to show you so you'll just have to buy the magazine. Anyway, how's the storyline coming? I can't wait to get that going either. I gotta go now but call me when you get this. I love you so much. Bye."

Piper hung up her phone and got up from her bed, placing her phone in her pocket. The door to the room opened up and Amy walked in. She was slightly dripping and had bits of sand stuck to her legs. Piper laughed as Amy rushed past her and went to get her own shower. Piper was about to leave the room when a loud ringing sound came from her pocket. She dug her phone out and flipped it open.

" Hello?"

" Hey babe!"

" I just called you like a minute ago."

" I know, I didn't have my phone. They decided to hide it from me. I'm glad you're having fun though."

" Yeah, it's been good times, but I really can't wait to get back home, all these random cameras were following Stacy and me around today."

" Really? What for?"

" The new DVD, I was told." Piper said.

" Well, that should be an interesting video." Jeff replied.

" I only hope. Stace and I hammed it up a little earlier. The photographer said I had a chance of beating out Trish for the cover this year, but I think they say that to everyone." Piper giggled.

" I dunno, you are a pretty hot girl."

" You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to say that."

" I know, but it's all out of love, you know that." Jeff laughed.

" Of course. So how's the storyline coming, has anything happened yet?"

" Nothing major yet. We've just been doing a few promos here and there. Doing the whole 'hey we're a mystery' thing."

" Sounds like fun, I can't wait to get back and do that."

" We're gonna have some crazy fun with it." Jeff said.

" I know," Piper replied. " I'm really ready to come home to you right now though."

" Baby, you've barely been gone three days, you can't say you want to come home now, the adventure hasn't even started yet." Jeff said.

" That's what you think. It's been crazy if it has only been a few days, I can't wait to see you honey."

" I know, and I can't wait to see you either," Jeff replied. " But listen Hun, I gotta go I've got stuff to do. Call me tonight?"

" I will."

" Good. I love you baby."

" I love you too."

" Bye."

" Bye, babe."

Piper flipped her phone down as Amy came walking back into the room, fully dressed.

" So, you still up for going out tonight," She asked. " I'm in."

" Definitely I think we're entitled to a bit of fun that's not on the beach here." Piper laughed.

" Of course!"

---

The night was less than uneventful for the group of Divas. They found a quite active club to hang out in and have a few drinks. They danced, drank, and had as much fun as they could without getting themselves kicked out. Piper, Stacy, and Amy took to dancing together to a Britney Spears song out on the dance floor. The rest of the girls giggled, watching their fellow Divas goof off in a somewhat drunken daze due to too many drinks. After their evening of dancing and drinking, they returned to their villas and crashed in their respective rooms, except a few. Joining Piper and Amy in their room was Trish, Stacy and Lisa-Marie. They sprawled out on the floor and in chairs, or on the beds. They were all obviously drunk and in no fit state to do anything other than loaf around the room and wait for sobriety to kick in. Piper wound up falling asleep curled up at the top of her bed, on top of a few pillows while Trish was sprawled out on the lower part of the bed, her legs hanging off. Amy was lying on her stomach on her bed, talking to Stacy who was lying on the floor at the foot of her bed, while Lisa-Marie was lounging in a chair across the room, giggling at something Trish had said.

" Hey girls…I think Piper's out." Trish said, reaching over and prodding Piper's stomach.

Piper simply murmured and curled up tighter, ignoring Trish's poke. Trish shrugged and flipped over onto her back.

" Too many Irish Car Bombs for her, don'tcha think?" Amy laughed.  
" And this was her idea," Lisa-Marie objected. " Wake her up!"

" Naah, Lis, let her sleep." Stacy mumbled, waving her hand.

Lisa-Marie's next objection was interrupted by a dull ringing sound coming from Piper's vicinity of the room. Amy brought herself up to her knees and looked over where she was curled up in a mass of pink and black.

" I think it's her phone."

" No shit Aims," Trish said. " Question is, who's gonna get it?"

" Someone better before it stops ringing." Stacy said.

" Trish you're right there. Think utility pockets, that's probably where it is."

Trish shrugged and opened a Velcro sealed pink pocket and reached in. She retrieved a small flip phone and shrugged, answering it.

" Hello!"

" Erm…Trish?"

" Oh, Hey Jeff!"

" …Where's Piper?"

" She's asleep."

" And you're answering her phone because…?"

" Because, the inhabitants of this room are all quite drunk and put me up to it."

" Interesting. If Piper wakes up tell her I'll call her in the morning, alright?"

" No problem Jeff."

" Later Trish."

" Bye."

Trish hung up Piper's phone and slid it back into her pocket, lying back down on the bed. Amy flopped back down on her bed with a shrug and sighed.

" So now what?" She asked.

" Whatdaya mean, now what?" Lisa-Marie asked.

" I mean, now what do we do."

" How about we take a tip from Piper and sleep," Stacy said. " We do have more shoots tomorrow morning."

" Aww, come on Stace…"

" Hey girls…do you mind _shutting up_!" Piper muttered.

" Hey! Piper you're awake!"

" No. No I'm not, and I'm planning on going back to sleep, somewhere along the lines of now."

" Hey, before your fall back asleep, Jeff called and said he'd call you in the morning." Trish relayed.

" Mmhmm…great."

With those last profound words, Piper returned to her dream world, leaving the other divas on their own to find some form of amusement.

---

For some of the girls, the end of that week couldn't have come sooner. For the others, it only went by too fast. Piper, was one of the ones that couldn't wait for the week to end. She had someone to look forward to going back to. The plane trip back to the States from Mexico was longer than expected due to a long overlay in some place Piper couldn't even begin to remember. After getting back to the States, they had to catch up with the rest of the roster in Saskatchewan. The plane ride up there was as long as it could be and more (another layover, this time in Nebraska). All the divas were sluggish dragging themselves off the plane, to the baggage claim, and to the airport vans to be taken to the arena. The girls all piled in as they did when they left for Cancun and were off to the arena. Piper and Amy were leaning against each other asleep and Stacy had rested her head against the window, while Trish had her head back and was constantly switching positions to find a comfortable one. After what seemed like only a few seconds to the uncomfortably slumbering Divas, they arrived at the arena. The girls were horded out of the van and into the arena in the big group they left in, each lugging their individual suitcase behind them. As they entered the arena, fortunately enough for Piper, they ran in to Jeff, Shane, Randy and Adam. Jeff immediately separated himself from the group and ran to Piper, grabbing her quickly around the waist and swinging her around in his arms. Piper, on the other hand, in her sleepy daze was completely oblivious to what was going on around her, but was awakened by Jeff's sudden grasp of affection. The other girls laughed, while the boys shook their heads, leaving the couple alone.

" I missed you baby." Jeff whispered planting a kiss on her lips.

" I missed you too…I definitely wasn't aware that you grabbed me a second ago, though. I'm so not awake."

" Aww, I'm sorry honey. Long flight?"

" Extremely, it was ridiculous! We had an extra long layover in whatever state we got to coming back from Mexico, then another one in Nebraska getting here. And it is _cold_! Why is it so cold?"

" We're in Canada, sweetheart, it's always cold."

" I love you Jeff."

" I love you too."

Jeff leaned in and kissed Piper again, threading his hands in her hair. The two were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Breaking apart quickly, the two looked to the source, Shane McMahon.

" Hey there you two, sorry to interrupt," Jeff and Piper blushed, Shane only laughed. " But now that the girls are back, Steph needs to see Piper, fill her in about the storyline."

" Ah, come on, Shane-O, I only just got her, can't I have her for just a little longer?" Jeff laughed, putting his arms around her waist.

" I apologize Jeff, but I was told that as soon as the girls get back," He said. " You'll get her back, ten minutes, tops."

" Alright," Jeff agreed, releasing Piper. " But I want her back!"

" I'll be back baby, don't worry."

Piper kissed Jeff on the cheek and went to take her bag with her but Jeff grabbed it and took it for her. She smiled at him as she followed Shane to Stephanie's room. When they walked in, Stephanie was sitting on the couch with Paul (of all people) in a less than deep conversation, with Stephanie doing most of the talking, of course, and Paul grunting like a caveman. As soon as Piper came into the room, Stephanie jumped up with a smile.

" Piper! Welcome back! Nice tan," She laughed. " How was the shoot?"

" Eventful, to say the least. You wanted to see me about something?"  
 " Oh yes, I want to fill you in on your new storyline. Do you want to go down to catering? I'm really starving."

" Sure," Piper replied, eyeing Paul. "I could use something. A Milky Way really didn't hold me over."

Stephanie smiled and led Piper out of the room and they headed towards catering. On the way, Stephanie started to fill Piper in on what was going to be happening.

" Okay, what's going on is that we're gonna have you all debuting in a few weeks. I'm thinking maybe two or three with a possibility of four, it depends on how well these promos are going to go."

" What promos?" Piper asked.

" It's what Jeff and Adam have been doing while you were in Cancun. It's like the old Brood, the lights will go out and turn red and flicker. They come up on the Titantron as blurred figures speaking to each other, causing trouble in places, that sort of thing. Because of the blur, you can't see who it is, obviously. So now that you're here, you get to play the pivotal part in bringing these two "gothic" misfits together."

" Alright. Have names been dropped yet?"

" Yes, they know that one's name is Dimitri, Jeff as you know. We can't let Adam's name slip yet because that would give it away too quickly. Now, your role is that you're pretty much a very kickass gothic girl. You're a bit psychotic, and very covertly sexual, you're also very much like Dimitri's girlfriend, very possessive about him, almost always around him, very hugs and kisses, without the pink and red, Valentine's day feel. The quote unquote, "sex kitten" side of Vivica is sort of playful and innocent. If you have any suggestions, please tell me, but we saw Vivica having split personalities almost. There'd be the very giggly, playful, sort of catty side and there'd be the very angst-filled, strong, ass kicking side. Now what the idea for Vivica's sort of possessive nature about Dimitri would be she'd kind of growl or glare at any girl that even so much as threw a pseudo sultry glance in Dimitri's general direction. What do you think of this so far?"

" I think it's a great idea, I'm really feeling the Vivica character, she seems so interesting to play, and I cannot wait to get started on her. I love how you described her as being possessive of Dimitri and having the split personality disorder, I love that. Anything else I need to know about Vivica?"

" At the moment, no. Like I said, if you have any ideas about Vivica, what you want done with her, that sort of thing, don't hesitate to let me know." Stephanie said.

" One more question, Steph. Who's going to be the main feud focus for the new Brood?"

" There isn't really a main focus, it's just out there to whoever they want, basically."

" Awesome! Wait…I've got another question."

" Fire away, I love that you're asking questions."

" Right, how about theme music?"

" Ah, that was one of the things that was harder to figure out. At the moment, we're using an extremely distorted version of the old Brood theme for the promos. I think theme music should be a combined effort between you, Jeff, and Adam. Picking individual ones that suit the character and a group one that supports the diverse nature of the individual personalities." Stephanie explained.

" No problem, I was thinking about that the entire time we were in Cancun. I only came up with one though."

" Oh? What is it?"

" Uhm…I can't believe this, I don't even remember." Piper said.

" No problem, if you remember, let me know."

" Thanks Steph, you're being really great about this."

" It's not a problem at all, Piper. I know you're just glad to be out of Evolution."

" You nailed that one. I really appreciate this."

Piper hugged Stephanie and walked the opposite way down the hall towards the lockeroom Jeff was in. Saying 'Hi' to Dave on the way, she tracked him down. He was with Adam sitting in a hallway, talking. The two welcomed Piper to their discussion as she planted herself in Jeff's lap.

" Stephanie just filled me in on my character." She said.

" So tell us," Adam piped. " We don't know anything about our Gothic darling."

" Well, what do you two know about her?"

" That her name is Vivica and we get to call her Peril." Jeff said.

" Great. Well, Viv is pretty much the poster girl for schizophrenia. She's pretty much got split personalities. One side of her is very playful and giggly, and the other side of her is full of angst and very much an ass kicker. She's pretty much Dimitri's girl, and she's really possessive over him. Sorry Adam, but you've got to put up with the two of us being like Gothic Valentine's day all the time," Adam groaned and rolled his eyes jokingly. " So she's an interesting character, I think I'm gonna love her."

" I think I am too," Jeff said, kissing Piper's cheek. " She sounds like a riot."

" Or like she could cause a few." Adam said.

Piper giggled. " Steph also wants us to figure out theme songs for the three of us, and the group. Adam, I suppose you're staying with yours, aren't you?"

" Definitely, I like that song too much to give it up." He said.

" Okay, I don't think that Linkin Park song fits what Vivica is supposed to be, so I definitely need a new one. Jeff, how about you, babe?"

" I'm not sure. I thought about one…but it doesn't seem right."

Jeff shrugged as fell quite as Piper and Adam struck up a conversation. Not long after, Jeff perked up, nearly bouncing Piper off his lap.

" I thought of something!"

" It wasn't holding onto me, was it?" Piper asked.

" Sorry babe. But I just had an idea. Do we still want to call ourselves The Brood? I mean it was invented and reinvented and I think it's time for a change." Jeff said.

" I think that's a good idea. I mean, it was The Brood and The New Brood…what are we? The New, New Brood?" Piper laughed.

" I definitely agree with that, we should have a different name." Adam said.

" The question is…what's our name?"

A/N2: I hope this chapter was alright, and sorry again that it's kinda weird, the original one was better, lol. Anyway, the next chapter is definitely going to be more eventful and interesting, and hopefully up sooner than usual, I know, I'm terrible at updating, lol.


	15. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 15

" Steph! Hey Steph!"

Piper ran down the hallway after Stephanie and stuttered to a stop, beaming.

" What's up Piper?"

" We thought up stuff for the group. Do you have a minute?"

" Of course, I was just on my way back to the lockeroom, I'm not busy at all."

" Great. We came up with a lot of stuff."

" That's excellent, I'm glad to hear the input from you three, after all, you're the ones making the group come alive, we're just giving you a few guidelines.

Piper and Stephanie walked back into Stephanie's empty lockeroom, sitting down on the couch.

" So, tell me the idea you've got."

" Well, we all came up with individual theme songs. Adam is sticking with his, Jeff's is by a band called VAST and the song is called "Pretty When You Cry". Mine is by a banned called Kill Hannah and it's called "No One Dreams Anyway". I've heard them both and they suit the characters really well. We also came up with a group theme which is "Despise" by Slipknot. And we came up with a name, we all figured that we couldn't just be The Brood, cos that's been done and redone and it needs something different than before, so we came up with the name Despair Division. What do you think of that?"

" I think that makes a great name for the group. It works perfectly," Stephanie said. " The only problem we may run into is getting permission from the new bands to use the songs, but we'll work it out."

" Great. I knew you would like it. So when we debut, who do you think our first thing is going to be against?"

" More than likely Kane, since he was the first person the Br…I mean Despair Division gave a blood bath to."

" Awesome. This should be great."

" Your first promo is tonight. They'll finally be introducing this "she" they talk about all the time. So you get to play that part."

" Quick question. Is there a leader? Y'know, like it was with Gangrel?"

" Not really. I think that everyone is an unsung leader in their own right."

" Alright, cool. I'm gonna go and see if I can hook up with Jeff and Adam and let them know about the stuff that's going on."  
" Okay, I'll talk to you later."

" Later Steph."

Piper got up from the couch and walked out the door. As she exited the lockeroom she went past her brother, without anything even resembling an acknowledgement. Paul stared at his now blonde sister with disdain in his eyes. Piper walked on and kept her glance straight. Paul turned around and started to follow after her. She took no notice and purely on instinct, sped up her stride. Paul caught up to her and grabbed her arm at the elbow and stopped her.

" What do you want?" Piper asked dryly, not bothering to look at him.

" I want you to give up on this ridiculously stupid storyline." Paul said.

" How about I don't and say I did. Fuck you Paul."

Piper wrenched her arm away from Paul's grip and continued down the hallway until she was out of his sight. She turned a corner and went to the lockeroom where she might find Jeff. She tapped on the door and it opened to Adam standing behind it. He smiled that toothy million dollar smile at her and invited her in.

" Hey Adam, have you seen Jeff?"

" Um…I think he just went to catering, the pig," Adam laughed. " He'll be back in a minute. What's up?"

" Nothing much, I just need the both of you here. I just talked to Stephanie."

" Did you tell her our ideas?"

" Of course. That's what I'm here about."  
Just as Adam went to reply, the door opened and Jeff walked in empty-handed. He smiled and sat down, pulling Piper by her waist into his lap.

" Hello to you too Jeff." Adam joked.

" Wanna sit down? I've got another knee." Jeff laughed.

" NO! That's quite alright, dude. I'll let Piper keep her space."  
Jeff shrugged, pulling Piper's legs over onto his other knee. " All the more room for my girl."

Adam laughed and pulled up a chair in front of the couple, sitting backwards on it. " So what did you want to tell us, Piper?"

" Well, Steph is totally into our ideas for the group she loved the name. I finally get to be in your promos tonight at RAW. How have you been doing them?"  
" We just film them on the fly. We just kinda say a lot of stuff that makes us sound mysterious and everything." Adam said.

" That sounds good. I can't wait till RAW starts."

" Cool. Hey, I'll see you kids later, I've gotta go do a few things." Adam said getting up.

Jeff and Piper said their good-byes to Adam he left the room, leaving them in privacy. Jeff kissed Piper's neck as she leaned back into him.

" Did you have fun in Cancun?"

" Yeah, it was alright, but I'd've done anything to have you there."

" Aww, baby. You didn't let that hinder your time there, did you?"

" Not entirely."

" Piper!"

Piper pouted and turned around, straddling Jeff to face him.

" It didn't really bring me down, I promise. I had a great time. I just wanted to be with you."

Piper gave Jeff her best pouting face. He sighed and gently pushed her hair back out of her face with the back of his hand, and kissed her lips gently.

" It's alright baby, don't worry."

" Did you stay out of trouble while I was gone?"

" Yes darlin', I was a good boy while you were away. I didn't get in a single fight."

---

RAW that night was definitely going to be an interesting night for the Despair Division. It was finally the night to introduce their last member.

***

The four members of Evolution were standing in the ring, giving one of their usual promos. Triple H leading the jeer laden discussion amongst him and his stablemates. All of a sudden, the lights went out and started to flicker red. The four in the ring, angered, turned to the Titantron as a red tinted, extremely blurred scene was displayed. Movement could be detected and sounds were heard clearly but the people in the scene were masked by the blur of the screen.

" Today is the day, Dimitri." A male voice said.

" She is ready?" A second asked.

" Yes."

The distinct sound of a door opening, then closing was heard. The "thunk" of boots colliding with the floor was the next prominent sound.

" You arrived safely, I assume." The first male voice said.

" I did, or would I be here?"

" Temper, little one. No need to snap."

" I have had a long day, but that is no matter now. What matters now is what we do to carry out our plans." The female voice said.

" Certainly. Where to start?" The one identified as Dimitri asked.

" Soon enough we well know. The foundation of our plan will soon be set. The Despair Division will not be denied their success and acknowledgement, no matter who we are to go through." The woman said.

" Regardless of the status of strength. The champion himself is no longer safe." This was Dimitri's voice.

" No champion is safe, Dimitri my love."

Those words were followed by the distinct sound of a kiss, lips to lips.

" No one is safe."

" Not while the Despair Division has the reach to touch all, to hurt all."

With that, the shot fizzled to a close. In the ring, Evolution was staring open mouthed at what they just saw. In a stupefied daze they began talking amongst themselves, confused about what they just saw.

" King it looks like we've finally got a name for this group that's been leaving us all these messages."

" Well I think Evolution isn't too happy with them interrupting."

King was indeed right. Triple H and the rest of Evolution were in the middle of the ring, while still confused, fuming among themselves.

" They did say not even the champion himself was safe."

" Well no one is safe according to what the Despair Division said."

" The Despair Division…that can't be anything good!" King said.

***

Backstage, Piper, Jeff, and Adam were slightly celebrating their first successful promo as the Despair Division as a whole.

" And to interrupt Evolution, that's just making it all the better!" Piper exclaimed.

Jeff put his arms around Piper from behind. " It's not the first time."

" It's not!?"

" Nope," Adam said with a grin. " Didn't Steph tell you? They're gonna be our first feud."

" She told me Kane!"

" Oops…I guess it was supposed to be a surprise…sorry Hun." Adam said.

" That's okay, all the better for me. I get to feud with Paul some more, and that's always a good thing." Piper beamed.

" Awesome. So, if you don't mind my asking, what's up with you two…or rather, how's it been going?"

" It won't be going any further if I've got anything to do with it…"

Jeff spun around, whirling Piper around with him. Jeff sighed and Piper groaned.

" I thought I got rid of you at least, no monkey on my back, but here you are Paul. What now?"

" What the hell do you think you're doing, interrupting us?"

" Don't fucking ask me, ask the tech people," Piper spat. " We go when they tell us to, we don't know when they put us on, so don't get your panties in a bunch. It's not like you say anything new anyway. I don't see what your problem is, all you're gonna do is bash the opponent and say how good you think you are and how the title is your life. They've heard it all before, Paul, get some new fucking material."

" And you think you could do better?"

" Paul, I've got more talent in a strand of my hair than you do in your inflate-a-muscles."

" Excuse me!?"

" You heard me Mr. One-Move-Champion."

" Piper, you better learn to watch what the hell you say…"

" Or what? You'll Pedigree me? That's all you got anyway." Piper said, wriggling free from Jeff's grip.

" Piper…"

" No Jeff! Someone has to tell him what everyone thinks, and who better than me? Paul, you've got a total of two moves. High knee, and the Pedigree. You better be glad _someone_ in the front office likes you because if they didn't, you wouldn't have that title, because with that piece of shit arsenal, you'd lose every match. You can continually get your ass kicked and then you've got that knee lift, Pedigree, and you win. You're lucky, Paul, not talented. Let's remember who once beat you for the Intercontinental title," Piper motioned towards Jeff. " He far surpasses you in the talent department…among things."

By this time, the rest of Evolution had assembled in the area. Two of them standing behind Piper, open-mouthed with surprise (Randy anyway). Jeff and Adam were stunned at Piper's nerve to step up to her brother the way she did. Paul looked dazed as well with Piper's audacious speech. Piper, though, was calm and satisfied that she had finally gotten that out of her system. She backed up towards Jeff who instinctively put a protective arm over her shoulders.

" …What the hell are you two doing over there!?" Paul asked, dazedly addressing Randy and Dave.

" We're on her side. " Dave replied, answering for Randy who was still in 'dead fish' position.

---

That night, at the hotel, Piper was sharing a room with Amy, telling her all about what happened earlier that night in her confrontation with Paul. Amy had a good laugh at it while Piper was telling her the story.

" He deserved it, babes, you've got nothing to be down about."

" Ha! Do I look down to you? I'm happy I told him, I mean, if I didn't he'd probably be getting some angry fan telling him or something, and then he'd bitch about it being out of character. But if anyone can vouch for him actually being an asshole out of character, it's me. Or Jeff."

" I wouldn't blame the kid if he did," Amy said. " I mean, in character or not, he is an ass."

" Amy, have I ever told you how glad I am you're my friend?" Piper giggled, leaning over and hugging Amy.

Amy giggled as well, giving Piper a squeeze. " And have I ever told you how glad I am to be on your side? I _surely_ wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of your lashings."

" Amy I would never lash at you, babe."

" I'm glad! Those verbal assaults of yours are massive."

" I've had practice, I mean, I've only lived with Paul all my life."

Amy laughed and hopped back over to her bed lying down on her back, her hands behind her head. Piper hopped up for a moment and pulled the blankets down, crawling underneath them, lying on her side, facing her friend.

" Hey Piper…was there ever a point that you and Paul got along? Just out of curiosity."

" There was, at one point ages ago, when he was teaching me to wrestle initially. But after I actually got the hang on things and started learning new stuff, he got really detached and evil with me and he basically just gave up on trying to help me at all. I mean, a lot of the stuff I know, I can credit to Paul, but just because he helped me a little with learning my trade doesn't mean I owe my entire career, and life to him. I will give him credit where it's due because he taught me the basics, but everything else I went out on my own and learnt. All the high-risk things, my aerial moves that kinda stuff that he couldn't teach me, I went out and did that by myself. So there was a point, like when I was really young that Paul was my best friend. When I was little and in grammar school and stuff like that and he was actually looking out for my best interests. I think there's always a time when you're really tight with your siblings, older or younger, and even if you drift apart, there's _something_ there, but I can't find it with Paul anymore. I just don't know anymore I think it's just one of those things that's not meant to be found again."

Piper shrugged and curled up in her bed, yawning.

" That's nearly sad, hun," Amy said. " I mean, if Paul didn't act like such a jerk to you."

" Nearly is your keyword there, Aims. I'm gonna try and get some sleep, I'm thinking about going down to the gym tomorrow morning, work off some of that alcohol we drank in Cancun. You game?"

Amy laughed. " Yeah definitely."

" Alright."

Before Piper went actually fell asleep, she reached over and grabbed the alarm clock, setting it for 7:30 the next morning. She clicked off the light on her side and rolled over, facing the slightly open window, settling down to sleep. Moments later, Amy followed suit and the two divas drifted into their separate dreamlands.

At precisely 7:30 the next morning, the alarm clock went off, buzzing loudly. With a blind hand reaching out from underneath a comforter, Piper swung her hand towards the snooze button, knocking the clock off of the nightstand. With a muffled groan into her pillow, Piper drug herself up from her covers and sat up, her disheveled blonde hair flung all over her head. Piper yawned deeply and crawled out of her bed, stumbling towards the bathroom. Splashing some cold water on her face, Piper looked in the mirror only to be met with another yawn. She left the bathroom and chucked one of her pillows at Amy, hitting her fellow diva in the head in an attempt to wake her. Amy pulled her arm out from underneath her pillow and flipped off Piper and threw the covers from over her head.

" Get up." Piper said, tossing her other pillow at Amy.

" Bitch…"

" I love you too Aims."

With another deep yawn, Piper went back into the bathroom and changed into a pair of black mesh shorts and a white sports bra with a "Y" back tank top over it. She stepped out and grabbed a pair of socks and her tennis shoes to put on. Amy had been dressed already, wearing a pair of short black shorts and a cut up version of one of her T-shirts, much like one she'd wear on RAW. Collecting things they need, the two divas left the room, stopping at the soda and snack machines on their floor to get bottles of water. Heading down to the gym, they started their separate workouts. Amy started off on a treadmill while Piper went off to do some work with the weight machines.

---

After their workout, Piper and Amy went back up to their room. Amy got to the room first but Piper stopped to pick up another bottle of water. Before she got back to her room, she had a…encounter with one of the people that she was least fond of.

" Piper…Piper, how _are_ you today?"

Whirling around, Piper sighed, seeing the one and only, Chris Irvine behind her. Piper rolled her eyes, opening her water bottle and taking a drink.

" What do you want, Chris?"

" C'mon, don't be so unpleasant baby."

" Don't call me baby."

" Hey, wasn't that a great song? Great on the dance floor…"

" What the hell do you want, Chris." Piper repeated angrily.

" Nothing, nothing, just to _gaze_ upon your beauty, if you will," Chris smirked. " You shouldn't scowl so much, you're a beautiful girl."

" Yeah, yeah. Excuse me, I've got to go shower."

" Hmm…a little dirty are we? I like that in a girl."

" You want dirty, Chris? Then go fuck Paris Hilton or something, I'm sure she's always open for business."

Piper scowled at Chris before she attempted to move past him, but he blocked her exit.

" Get out of the way."

" Now, now, kitten, don't be so feisty…"

" What the hell is your problem? Don't call me kitten, if you _ever_ have to talk to me, call me Piper, got it?"

" Yes ma'am. But like I said, don't be so feisty…you may make people seem like you're a bitch to be around, and I'm sure that's not true," Chris pushed his hair over his shoulder. " Anyway, what I wanted to tell you, is that a good friend of mine happened to snag an advance copy of the new divas magazine, amazing how fast those things get put together," Chris smirked again, producing it from his back pocket. " It's a shame you didn't make the cover and Torrie did. Typical. They think she's the crown jewel of the divas but they're totally wrong, you, my dear, beat them all. Sure, Trish is hot, Amy's hot, but you…Piper you are a super diva."

" Don't suck up to me, Chris."

" Of course, girls don't like a suck up, I understand…"

" No Chris, I just don't like you."

Piper again tried to move, but Chris blocked her.

" I don't see why. I'm a likeable guy. Respectable and honest…"

" Don't start with that bullshit, you've been harassing me since I got her, you obviously are not everything you've said so why don't you go find someone else to harass."

Piper, frustrated with Chris's antics, unscrewed the cap from her water bottle again and dumped it over Chris's head. With an angered gasp, Chris flailed at the water being poured on him as Piper tossed the bottle at him and walked away. She went back to her room and sat down on the end of her bed. Amy seemed to still occupy the bathroom and Piper got up again, flattening her bag down on the floor and opening it up. From it, she pulled a pair of black cargo pants and tossed them behind her on the bed. After the pants, she picked out black style-torn tank top and a hot pink fishnet shirt, throwing those onto the bed as well. Digging through her bag once more, Piper retrieved a pair of pink and black striped over-the-knee socks and underwear, throwing them onto her bed as well. As she waited, Piper pulled her brush out and ran it through her hair, looking slightly sad at her now blonde hair. She sighed and continued to brush her hair as the door clicked open and Amy came out dressed in rosy pink pants and a graffiti tank top.

" What took you so long?" She asked, putting her things into her bag.

" I ran into Chris."

" Ugh, I don't blame you going to shower." Amy laughed.

Piper laughed and grabbed her clothes and walked into the bathroom for a shower. After getting dressed, Piper stared in the mirror, fixing her hair into two long ponytails on either side of her head. She came out of the bathroom and put her stuff away as well.

" So what's on tap for today?"

" SmackDown, for once."

" No way! I haven't been to SmackDown in ages," Piper laughed. " Sounds like fun."

" By the way, y'all's promo Monday was rockin'." 

" Thanks Aims, I had so much fun doing it. Viv is gonna be so much fun to play."

" So what are you guys up to for this, I mean, who's your main target, so to speak?"

" Evolution. It was apparently supposed to be a surprise, but Adam ruined it," Piper giggled. " We get to beat them up and things of the such, it's gonna be great."

***

In the middle of the ring stood former WWE champion Brock Lesnar, again ranting about something or another. His title that doesn't _really_ belong to him anymore, Eddy Guerrero, Bill Goldberg, or Stone Cold Steve Austin. In the middle of Brock's spiel, the lights suddenly shut off before they started blinking an eerie mix of red, purple, and silver. Upon the SmackDown Titantron came another extremely blurred image, clear sound, and hushed voices.

" Time draws nearer, my friends."

" As such, we should be prepared." Said a female voice.

" Aren't we already? How much further can preparedness get us?"

" Further than we are now," The woman said. " You both should be aware of that by now. Do you not understand?"

" We understand, we are just impatient." One male said.

" Patience was never your strongest point, Dimitri my love. You must be patient."

" No time for arguing, you both," The other male voice said. " It is time to come together and show the dominance of the Despair Division."

" How correct you are, but we are still waiting."

" Why! Why must we continue to wait?"

" Because the time is not right."

" It seems like an eternity!"

" Then eternity it shall be, but the time is still not right."

That said, the shot turned to snow and died out to the words in barely-there writing red writing on a pale silver background "Despair Division".


	16. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 16

"Hey Aims, what do you think of this outfit?"

"Huh? Hang on a sec."

Piper was standing in the middle of the room staring in a mirror, trying to fix the shirt she was wearing. With her hair up in a high ponytail, Piper was decked out in a pair of black and pink pinstriped pants, low top, black Converse shoes, a white long sleeved shirt under a pink shirt and a black tank top with a severely plunging neckline. Amy appeared in the room a second later, her hair was wet and clinging to the back of her shirt..

"Whatdaya think?"

"I think you're crazy. What's with all the layers? I know its Canada but damn girl, wear a jacket."

"So, no?"

"No, just not so many layers. The white and pink ones aren't necessary," Amy said. "It's cute though. You look like one of those Indy band chicks."

"That's nearly what I was going for." Piper laughed.

"I like it, but let me do something to your hair, please!"

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd say that," Piper said, sitting on her bed. "Would you kill me if I asked you to dye it black again? Y'know, it works better for the character."

"Yes, I would kill you! We spent all that time bleaching that shit out!"

"Aims! C'mon, it works for Vivica, don't you think? The three of us all can't be blonde, this isn't Hanson!"

"Oh my God, I can't believe you just said that," Amy laughed. "Do you really want the black?"

"Yes! Please Amy!"

"Alright, fine, but only because it's for the good of the character."

"Thank you honey!"

Piper jumped up and hugged Amy before getting her bag again.

"What are you doing now?" Amy asked.

"I'm gonna change," Piper said. "This outfit isn't working."

"It will work, take off the white and pink ones. Show some cleavage girl," Amy laughed. "Don't be afraid. Or put on a fishnet under it."

"Do you have a pink one?"

"Do I have a pink one? Do I, Amy Dumas have a pink fishnet shirt? Are you kidding me? I've got all the colors of the rainbow!"

Piper laughed and took off the first few layers of her outfit as Amy dug through her back and tossed her a pink fishnet shirt. Piper thanked Amy and put it on, and replaced the tank top.

"Alright, how does this look?"

"Looks hot babe! See, there's never anything wrong with some cleavage!"

Piper laughed and looked in the mirror on the back of the door, she tugged at her top a little, trying to pull it up.

"Aims I don't know about this."

"Leave it, Piper, it looks fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It's chill, leave it, they're just boobs." Amy laughed.

"I know who got the cover." Piper said randomly, walking away from the mirror.

"You do? How?"

"The King of Assclowns got a legit advance copy of the magazine."

"Damn! Who got the cover?"

"Torrie. Who else?"

"Son of a bitch! I knew they were gonna give it to her."

"I'm really not too concerned about it, it's not a huge thing to me, y'know? It's just a bonus, it's not that important."

"I know, but a non-blonde deserves it."

"Umm...Aims...I am a blonde." Piper said.

"You know what I mean. A non-_blonde_."

"Ooh, okay, I get you," Piper giggled. "It's really not a big deal to me, I mean, it was bound to happen again, right? She wins everything."

"I got the first one, I'm content with that so it's no big deal to me anymore either, but I still think someone else could have got it."

"I'm not worried about it in the least, babe," Piper shrugged. "All I wanna do is wrestle, y'know what I mean."

"Yeah chicky, I know." Amy nodded.

"Hey, I'm starving, how about we round up the guys and go get McDonalds breakfast or something?"

Amy laughed. "McDonalds?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Sounds good to me, but we need to go get you some good black dye so I can fix your hair."

"Are you doing it today?"

"If we have time, if not, then tomorrow or whenever we've got a free few hours or so."

"Amy, you're a goddess, what would I do without you?"

"Find someone else to dye your hair." She laughed.

The two divas laughed and Amy grabbed a hair tie and pulled her still wet hair up in a ponytail as they left the room. The rode the elevator up a floor and found the room where Jeff was (sharing with Matt, of course), knocking on the door. No less than a second later, Matt opened the door and smiled to the two girls.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, is your little brother around?" Piper asked.

"He's in the shower...I hope," Matt laughed. "He should be out in a second if he's not drowning himself, y'all are welcome to come in if y'want."

Piper and Amy both smiled as Matt pulled the door open wider for the two. They went inside and Matt closed the door behind them. Piper instantaneously crawled onto (what was made obvious by the fishnet, bondage pants, and novelty shirts) Jeff's bed, sitting cross-legged across from Matt who was sitting on the other bed and Amy who had pulled up a chair between the space separating the beds. The trio sat in silence for a moment, the only sound was the shower running and the light jingling sound of Piper playing with the leg of Jeff's pants. Matt was about to speak up with a loud cry of something along the lines of "Naaagh!" came from the bathroom. Piper raised an eyebrow and rolled off of Jeff's bed, opening the bathroom door without hesitation. Steam billowed out, stunning her for a second. Waving her arm to try and cut through the blanket of steam, Piper walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"Oooh, this can't be good." Matt said.

Amy smacked his shoulder. "Don't say that. I don't want to have to have her go through that explanation again."

Matt blushed a little, and meanwhile inside the bathroom, Piper sat down on the toilet seat, turned towards the shower curtain. A few flecks of steamy water hit her arms and cheeks, she wiped them off, pouting slightly.

"I already had a shower this morning." She said over the running water.

Startled, Jeff poked his head out of the door. His shoulders dropped in relief, seeing who it was.

"Wanna warn me next time, baby?"

"I would, but it sounded like you tried to drown yourself from out there."

"Heh, no, just a little shampoo in the eyes, nothing unusual."

"...Jeff, everything's unusual when it comes to you."

Jeff stuck his tongue out at Piper and motioned for her to stand up and come closer. She stood, and leaned in, giving him a short, but lingering kiss before leaving the bathroom and letting Jeff finish his shower. Piper walked out of the bathroom and sank back down onto Jeff's bed.

"Did he drown himself?" Matt asked.

"Nope. Shampoo in the eyes." Piper replied.

"Typical of Jeff. I won't be surprised if he goes blind one day from that."

"You are so terrible Matt! You make it sound like you want it to happen."

"Probably because he does," Jeff said from the door. "Thanks bro. Piper, can you hand me my clothes please, baby?"

Piper gathered up the things that were spread across Jeff's bed and handed them to him. He thanked her and disappeared into the bathroom again. A few minutes later, he came back, dressed in his black bondage pants (with neon green straps) and red wide-fishnet tanktop. He sat down next to Piper, putting his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek and sat back.

"What's up with y'all?"

"Me and Piper are hitting McDonalds for breakfast, wanted to see if you boys wanted to come."

"You girls are reading my mind! It's been forever since I last had breakfast from there," Jeff said, jumping up. "Anything beats the continental breakfast here, mold muffins and hot fruit juice."

Piper groaned. "Tell me about it. You game, Matt?"

"No thanks, you three have fun."

They got up (only after Jeff got his wallet) and left, on the way, they ran into Trish, who declined the invitation to join, as well as Shane Helms, who agreed to tag along. ("Can't let my Hurri-strength get down!" He says - I.E.: Jeff, you're buying!).

---

"I'm glad I go the three of you together at one time. Tonight is the grand revelation of the Despair Division," Stephanie said happily. "You guys are getting really great crowd reactions, even though no one knows who you are yet. So I'm pretty excited to see how they're going to react when they actually see you three. And Piper, I love that you dyed your hair back to black."

"It took some persuasion on my part." She laughed.

"Well, all three of you have a match tonight. Adam and Jeff, you're in mid-card, in a tag match against Paul and Randy. Piper, you're close mid-card against Trish, so you can accompany Jeff and Adam to the ring for their match. And before you ask, yes, the other song cleared, the okay was given."

"Steph, you are on it chick! You rock!"

"Now, wardrobe for you all, I believe you've all got your own ideas?"

"I'm cool with what I'm wearing, Amy's got the perfect pants I'm borrowing from her."

"Great. Adam? Jeff?"

"I think I'm good," Jeff nodded. "I've got plenty of stuff to fit the part."

"Same here. What I don't have, I'll borrow from Jeffro." Adam replied.

"Says who?"

"Alright guys, you're set. Kick ass out there tonight."

In the ring that night, Trish and Christian were standing in the ring, talking about something when the lights went out and started to flicker purple with the erratic sounds of "Hysteria" by Muse. On the Titantron, the words "Despair Division" were written and blinking black and purple. At the top of the ramp, the crowd could make out a dark figure. The lights flashed on and off as the form moved down the ramp. The lights stopped and stayed purple as the person was now standing in the ring. The music died out and the lights came back up and in the center of the ring, face to face with Trish and Christian was a dark-haired woman. She was much taller than the blonde diva and looked down on her. The woman was dressed in all black and stood calmly, yet menacingly over Trish, who, on the other hand, had started yelling at the woman that interrupted her. The tall woman tilted her head and with a quick, snapping reflex, grabbed Trish around the neck! Christian tried to get involved but the girl kicked Christian in the stomach, knocking him down, still keeping her hand clamped around Trish's throat. Trish flailed and tried to get the woman's vice grip from around her neck.

"This woman is about to choke the life out of poor Trish! Stop her JR!" King shouted.

"Why don't you go stop her, King?"

"Look at her! She's an Amazon! She's a freak!"

"That never stopped you when it came to women before."

The raven-haired hellcat shoved Trish to the mat as a referee finally came running down the ramp, sliding into the ring. Sounding the bell, the woman grabbed Trish by her hair again and drug her across the ring. Trish, all the while still sputtering from being choked, tried again to get the vice grip from around her hair, and failed. With a quick spurt of energy, the woman in black tossed Trish across the ring by the hair. Trish flew across the ring, nearly landing on Christian (who rolled out of the ring, conveniently in time) with a yelp. The dark haired woman stalked back towards Trish and yanked her up from the mat forcefully, this time, hiptossing her over. Unrelenting, the mystery woman started toying with Trish, slapping her in the back of the head. The first few were slightly soft, nothing but a small sting, but the ones that came after it were forceful and could be heard. The mystery girl picked Trish up by the armpits and - stealing a page from Jazz's book - put her in a standing chickenwing stretch. Trish screamed, but refused to give up. The girl holding her up simply shrugged it off and dropped the Canadian blonde on her face.

"Oooh! Trish's pretty face is going to be ruined. Stop that!" King yelled.

The tall brunette, staring down at Trish laying facedown on the mat, started to giggle. She dropped to the mat and leaned down in Trish's face.

"What's wrong Trish? Too tired to play anymore? Come on Trish, let's play!"

She grabbed Trish by the back of her trousers and spun the blonde bombshell around before tossing her out of the ring. The woman from the Despair Division slid out of the ring after her and grabbed Trish before Christian could get to her and spun her around, throwing her into the steel ring post! Trish hit the mats on the outside and the girl wasted no time throwing her back into the ring. Before the other woman could slide back into the ring, Christian grabbed her, stopping her and started to yell at her but she hit him with a right hand and knocked him back down. She rolled into the ring and Trish had started to get up, using the ropes. The woman laughed at Trish, grabbing the blonde beauty and kicking her in the stomach, giving her a hard powerbomb. The tall woman hauled Trish up from the mat again by her hair, throwing her back into the turnbuckle before choking her with a heavy boot. She let go and Trish fell to the mat, gasping for air. The woman danced around Trish a moment as she made it to her knees before she kicked Trish sharply in the gut. Trish yelled, grabbing her midsection, still slightly reeling from the powerbomb she took earlier. With another kick for good measure, the tall diva put her boot over Trish's chest and the referee counted three.

"I don't know who this woman is, but she just completely destroyed Trish Stratus." JR said.

"She's part of that Despair Division, I told you they weren't anything good. Just look at what she did to Christian and Trish!"

The woman walked up the ramp and headed backstage only to be stopped by Jonathan Coachman in the middle of the hall.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!"

She turned around, glaring at Coach, but saying nothing.

"Eric Bischoff wants to see you in his office, right now!"

The woman smirked, brushing past Coach like he wasn't even standing there. She reached the General Manager's office and opened the door, without knocking, and walked in. Johnny Nitro and Eric Bischoff both jumped to their feet upon seeing the woman enter.

"Hey! Don't you know how to..."

"I'll take care of this, Nitro."

"Sure, no problem E…err, I mean Mr. Bischoff!"

Eric rolled his eyes as Johnny Nitro moved into the background. Bischoff looked over the tall woman standing in front of him, speaking to her.

"Don't you know how to knock on a door? You better learn some damned respect! And just who in the hell do you think you are, out there trying to end Trish Stratus' career..."

"It's not like she did much with it to begin with," The woman spoke for the first time, very softly. "She's filthy and deserves what she got."

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Vivica, Eric Bischoff, I am part of the Despair Division, you should know this. Did you not hire us?"

"It's Mr..."

"Mr. Bischoff, to me, right? Of course, of course. Eric Bischoff, I know what you're going to say, and I know you want me punished for my actions, but there is no one you can put in my way that will make any difference."

Without waiting for a response from Eric, the woman turned and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

---

Later that evening in RAW, the four members of Evolution were standing in the ring, talking about assorted things when the lights went out again, flickering with the same eerie purple light from before. The sounds of "Despise" by Slipknot was heard and at the top of the ramp, were three figures. One was the woman that had demolished Trish earlier in the evening, Vivica, and on either side of her were two men. One tall blonde and another man with an indefinable hair color. The trio, obvious by the flashing jagged letters displayed on the Titantron, was the Despair Division. They were all cloaked in black and the blonde man had a microphone in his hand.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Edge. She is Vivica. He is Dimitri," Edge pointed to each individual as their name was called. "We together are the Despair Division. We are the next step in dominance that the WWE has ever, or will ever see. We are the end all and be all of dominant factions. Any who should oppose us will fall. We have no allies. We need no allies. If you want proof of our claims, simply look back at what our Vivica did to your precious princess Trish Stratus," Edge motioned to the Titantron when the footage was being replayed. Vivica giggled wildly, screeching something about how fun it was to hurt her. "If you want more, take in the example of what myself and Dimitri are going to do to the apes in the ring."

Edge threw the microphone down and the three descended the ramp. The dark trio stood at the base of the ramp staring down Evolution. Edge and Dimitri looked to each other and slid into the ring. Triple H sent Randy and Batista at them, and the men of the Despair Division made short work of the two, throwing them out of the ring. Vivica jumped up and down on the outside of the ring, cheering on her men. Ric Flair attempted an attack on Edge and Dimitri but they caught him and gave him a double spinebuster. Triple H gaped at the duo and tried to get out of the ring but Vivica was standing there. She shook her head and kicked Triple H in the stomach, throwing him back into the ring. After doing so, Vivica pushed the timekeeper out of the way, taking his chair. Vivica jumped onto the apron and got into the ring. Dimitri and Edge warded off the other three members of Evolution and Vivica came up to Triple H with the chair happily in hand. Dimitri grabbed Triple H and held him up while Vivica hit him in the head with the chair!

"Good God! Did you hear that shot?!"

"That was sick JR, I don't think I've ever seen a female crush Triple H's skull with a chair like that!"

Vivica giggled loudly, laying another chair shot into Triple H's stomach. Dimitri put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Vivica pouted and threw the chair down. Edge had taken care of Batista and Randy while Dimitri gave Ric Flair a hard DDT. Triple H was attempting to get up but Dimitri hit him with the Twist of Fate. Vivica climbed to the top rope and performed a picture perfect Swanton Bomb. She got back to her feet and stared down at Triple H, yelling things at him. Dimitri reached out and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her away. Vivica gave Dimtri her best babydoll face before grabbing him with a grin and kissing him roughly. The two kissed once more before they left the ring, and left Evolution laying.

After saying goodbye to his loved up teammates, Adam headed off to his lockeroom. Piper twirled around happily, falling into Jeff's arms.

"You wanna try and not bruise me next time baby?"

"Sorry, I thought that it would add a little extra something to the performance."

"Oh I don't mind, just didn't see it coming."

"Hey, you wanna get out of here? Raw is over, after all."

"Definitely."

Jeff headed off towards the men's lockeroom while Piper flitted off to the diva's lockeroom for a quick shower and to change her clothes. She met Jeff at the building's back exit, and they left.

---

"...And the next thing I know, Nat. It just...happened. It was like some weird, unstoppable thing and it just...happened, y'know?"

"So what you're saying is you just did it with Jeff, just went through with it?"

"Yes. I know I've always said I'd wait till I was married...but I love Jeff and felt it was right."

"Pip, sometimes what you decide early in life doesn't apply to your life in current time, baby. Sometimes those decisions just don't have room in your life when you get older and you've got to make new ones. You're not wrong for sleeping with Jeff, honey, you're not going to be condemned to hell or anything, it's your decision and you think it's right. No one can tell you what's right and wrong with your sex life."

"Thanks Natyla. I can't wait till we're back in Texas again, we'll have to meet up."

"You know it, bitch! You better call me when you get here next."

"I definitely will, I'll talk to you later, Nat."

"Bye honey."

"Bye."

Flipping her cell phone shut. Piper sighed and walked back into the hotel. She went back up to her room where Jeff was still laying, sound asleep. Piper smiled before climbing back in next to him, lying to face him. She brushed her hand across his cheek and kissed him gently. Jeff's eyes opened, and he smiled at her.

"I heard you leave. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that, I had a moment and I needed to talk to Nat."

"S'okay," Jeff drawled, pulling her closer. "If you didn't want to do that, last night, you could have told me."

"Its not that I didn't want to, Jeff. I'm just surprised I actually did."

"Really? Are you okay with it? I mean, it's not like we can take it back, but...y'know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm totally fine. Honestly."

"Good. I didn't want you to regret it."

"I don't, I really don't."

"C'mere baby."

Jeff pulled Piper in closer to him and laid a sweet, lingering kiss on her lips. Jeff pulled her shirt off of her, exposing to him her bare chest. Piper sat up, climbing on top of Jeff without breaking their kiss. Jeff held her waist gently with one hand, playing with the ends of her hair with the other. Piper pulled away but Jeff growled playfully, flipping her over onto her back, hovering over her. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck before getting up (without shame of his nakedness) and walked towards the bathroom.

"You're gonna do that and leave me here like this? How rude!" Piper giggled, sitting up.

Jeff smirked. "Well, you could always join me, if y'like."

"One time does not make me a sex fiend, Jeff. I'll wait till you're done."

"Suit yourself."

Jeff shrugged and walked into the bathroom. Piper fell back into the pillows again and sighed happily. Before she could settle in any sort of way, a knock on the door disturbed her. She groaned and got up, looking for her shirt. Not finding it, she grabbed Jeff's shirt and slid it over herself, answering the door.

"Aims?"

"Hey babe, I was looking for you, I figured I'd find you here."

"Ooh! I'd invite you to come in, but it's a bit of a mess in here right now."

"Honey, I've traveled among these boys for years now, you think I'm not used to a mess?"

Piper laughed and pulled the door open. "Well come on in then, sorry about it though."

"Don't sweat it. It's chill."

"So what's up?"

"I was looking for you last night after RAW to see if you and Jeff wanted to come hang out but Adam said he saw y'all leaving after the show."

"Yeah, we came straight back to the hotel, wanted to spend some time together before Paul drug himself from the mat."

"Girl, you shoulda seen him after RAW last night, he was so pissed! Ranting and raving and everything in between, man it was truly crazy." Amy laughed, running her fingers through her hair.

"I bet," Piper smirked. "He's always doing that when he doesn't get his way, he's like a damned two-year-old."

"No kidding," Amy agreed. "So what did you and Jeff do last night?"

"Ooh...erm...nothing really." Piper mumbled.

"Nu-uh, don't lie to me girl." Amy teased.

"Really, nothing."

Amy eyed Piper but shrugged anyhow. "If you insist."

Piper got up and leaned down to Amy's ear. "I'll tell you later."

Amy giggled loudly grabbing Piper's arm. "So there is something?! Ha! What's wrong with telling me now?"

"Cos! He's in the shower, crazy!"

"Ooh," Amy giggled. "Then I'll leave you two to yourselves, I'll see you later baby."

"Alright, later Aims."

"Ladies and Gentlemen we've got a packed show for you tonight. We're gonna see Triple H take on Dimitri from the Despair Division tonight and their own supervixen, Vivica, take on Jazz in a number 1 Contender's match for the Women's Championship. Not to mention, Randy Orton puts his Intercontinental title on the line against Kane."

"JR, tonight is going to be crazy, we're seeing two out of three of that crazy Despair Division in action tonight, what do you make of them?" King asked.

"You said it King, they're crazy, but I think the champion, and Evolution for that matter will have their hands full with this dangerous trio."

"But there's four members of Evolution, they're outnumbered!"

"They didn't seem outnumbered last week when Vivica cracked that steel chair over Triple H's skull." JR remarked.

The first match out of the shoot was the Despair Division's proclaimed supervixen, Vivica taking on Jazz. The loud, pulsing sounds of "Hysteria" by Muse thumped the speakers and the raven-haired woman appeared among flashing purple lights.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for number one contendership for the WWE Women's championship! First, making her way to the ring, representing the Despair Division, Vivica!"

Vivica strode down the ramp, dressed in a midnight red top that had slashes in places that wouldn't show too much, but showed just enough and black bondage pants with silver piping. She slid into the ring and scowled around the crowd as her theme was cut off for Jazz's.

"And her opponent, Jazz!"

Jazz posed at the top of the ramp and started down, pointing and yelling things at Vivica who, in the ring, looked barely phased. Jazz got into the ring and the bell sounded. Vivica stayed in her corner, eyeing Jazz curiously. Jazz, slightly angered by Vivica's nonchalant attitude, urged her to come to the center of the ring. Vivica took a short step forward and stopped, stepping back again. Jazz scowled and started yelling at her. Things like "You're scared to face me!" and "You know I'm the baddest bitch!". Vivica, again, looked unfazed, if not amused. Jazz, tired of the lack of recognition by Vivica, attacked. She went to chop Vivica but Vivica grabbed her arm, pushing her away. Jazz scowled at Vivica again and challenged her to punch but Vivica ignored it and walked around her, flicking her hair.

"King, I think Vivica may be taking Jazz a little too lightly."

"I see, but I don't think Vivica has much to worry about."

"Why do you say that, King?"

"Because if she keeps toying with her like this, then Jazz may just get frustrated and walk out!"

Fed up, Jazz grabbed Vivica by the ends of her hair and pulled. Vivica stumbled only the slightest bit and whirled around, her eyes locked in a hard glare. Vivica reached out and in turn grabbed Jazz's hair, throwing her to the mat forcefully. Tired of playing her own game, Vivica yanked Jazz up from the mat and gave her a hard side uppercut. Before Jazz could fall, Vivica grabbed her and gave her a bulldog. She pulled her up again and chopped her hard across the chest. She grabbed her roughly by the hair and slammed her face first into the turnbuckle pad, then did it again. She tossed Jazz down on the mat and climbed to the top turnbuckle, delivering a hard elbow drop. Vivica got up and bounced off the ropes and hit Jazz with a cartwheel splash, then started putting the boots to her. Vivica backed up and performed a frontflip legdrop. Vivica got back to her feet and pulled Jazz up, banging her head into the turnbuckle again before hitting a slightly modified version of the Sliced Bread #2. Vivica covered Jazz and the three count was made.

"Here is your winner and number one contender for the WWE Women's championship, Vivica!"

"Hysteria" started playing again and Vivica rolled out of the ring. She retreated backwards up the ramp, as the scene fell to something new.

--

Later that night in RAW, Dimitri was taking on Triple H in a form of a grudge match for the Despair Division's actions. Backstage before the match, both participants were preparing in their own ways. The cameras cut to the action in the lockeroom housing the Despair Division. All three members were in the room. Edge sitting on a chair close to the door, eyes closed and head slightly bowed. Dimitri sitting on a bench with Vivica in his lap. With a giggle in her voice and a malicious look on her face, she nipped and kissed at Dimitri's neck. Finally, he pushed her away; she pouted but left his lap. Edge raised his head as Dimitri got from his seat and walked towards the door. The two men nodded towards each other and Vivica made a move to follow Dimitri, but Edge shot her a look that stopped her cold and she recoiled, claiming Dimitri's spot. She folded her arms and fashioned a pout to her lips but it went unnoticed by her male stablemates, much to her dislike. Dimitri left the room without so much as a look back and the camera shot faded back to the ring.

"Pretty When You Cry" started to play and the lights again started to blink but this time it was a dangerous red color. At the top of the ramp stood the Despair Division's most reserved member, Dimitri. He was dressed in a pair of oversized black bondage pants and a red fishnet shirt under a black one. He walked down the ramp, and slid into the ring, not bothering to showboat or anything.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall. First, in the ring, representing the Despair Division, Dimitri!"

Triple H's theme kicked in. He came to the ring accompanied by all three other Evolution members. They flocked around him glaring towards Dimitri.

"And his opponent, being accompanied by Evolution, he is the WWE World Champion, Triple H!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes at Triple H's need for backup and walked to a far corner, lounging back. Triple H and the rest of Evolution got into the ring after Triple H's water ritual. Dimitri had a less than concerned look on his face as Triple H glared towards him. Dimitri stepped away from his claimed turnbuckle, offering it openly to Triple for his need to pose. Dimitri stepped away, arms crossed over his chest. Triple H eyed him a moment before posing on the now vacant turnbuckle. Dimitri went to another side and occupied it before it was finally time to begin the match. The bell sounded and Dimitri pulled himself out of the corner and stepped to the center of the ring. Triple H started to yell at him and Dimitri tuned him out and simply took what he was saying. Before Triple H could get any further, Dimitri came out of nowhere with a hard right hand that knocked the champion down. Triple H scrambled back to his feet and glared at Dimitri who gave him a smirk in return. Triple H came running at Dimitri, driving the Despair Division superstar to the corner. Triple H went to hit Dimitri but he ducked out of the way and managed to get behind the champion and hit him with a German suplex. Dimitri stood up calmly as Triple H scrambled up again. Dimitri beckoned him closer and ducked when Triple H tried to hit him. Dimitri hit a quick standing dropkick. Triple H fell to the mat again and Dimitri hit him with a flip splash. Before he could get up again, Dimitri hit a flipping leg drop, followed up by an elbow drop. Ric Flair jumped up on the apron in protest to the treatment of the champion and Dimitri knocked him off. The other members of Evolution jumped up as well and attacked Dimitri. The referee called for the bell, disqualifying Triple H. Dimitri threw punches at both of the other Evolution members, warding them off for a short time but the over took him. Dimitri started fighting back again and kept the them off long enough for him to get out of the ring.

Jeff got backstage after the match, heading back towards the lockeroom where Piper and Adam were. Before he even got close Paul had somehow swooped in front of him. Jeff skidded to a stop and backed up a little. Paul folded his arms over his chest, glaring Jeff down. Jeff gulped, running his hands over his hair nervously.

"W…what d…"

Before Jeff could finish his sentence, Paul rocked him with a punch in the jaw so hard that Jeff fell to the ground. He held his jaw, gaping up at Paul.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Paul didn't answer but grabbed Jeff's hair and drug him up off the floor tossing him towards a door. Jeff collided, upside down, with the door, sending it bursting open. He landed sprawled on his back and Paul grabbed him up again and sent him erupting through the door across the hall, which happened to be the Diva's lockeroom. He slid against the floor, tumbling over into the side of a bench. The girls inside the lockeroom screeched and Trish jumped out of the way just before Jeff barreled into her. Jeff groaned, curling his arm around his own stomach, grimacing in pain. Ignoring the girls, Paul barged in and grabbed Jeff again, quite literally dragging him out of the room. He slammed him into the doorframe and Jeff fell to his knees, clutching his side.

"Paul stop," Trish yelled. "He didn't do anything!"

Trish approached cautiously and tried to help Jeff but Paul shoved her away by the shoulder. Stacy and Lisa Marie caught her before she fell to the ground. They helped Trish right herself and Lisa Marie scowled at Paul as he grabbed another handful of Jeff's hair.

"Why don't you just leave him alone? Keep your big ass nose out of Piper and Jeff's business and leave them alone!" Lisa Marie said.

Paul ignored her, shoving her away as well and pulled Jeff out of the room. The divas poured out of the room as Paul shoved Jeff to the floor. His face bounced against the concrete and his hand flew up to cradle the injured area. Concurrently, Amy and Matt were walking down the hallway at the time as Paul laid a hard kick into Jeff's stomach. Matt ran to interject, flying into Paul's chest like a spear. The two tumbled to the ground and Amy slid down to the ground to check on Jeff. Trish dropped to the ground next to Amy.

"What happened," Amy asked frantically. "What happened to him?!"

"I don't know how it started but all of a sudden, Jeff just came flying into our lockeroom and Paul was beating on him." Trish explained.

"Jeff, Jeff hun, are you alright?"

"Fucking hell…" Jeff moaned.

"Trish, go and find Piper. Lisa, get a medic, please!"

The two girls nodded and dashed off and Stacy took Trish's place. Matt and Paul were still scrapping around on the floor as officials and medics arrived on the scene. Only moments later, Piper appeared, sprinting down the hallway with Trish and Adam directly in tow. Piper slid to a stop and dropped to her knees opposite Stacy. Trish told Piper the part of the story she knew and tears started shining in Piper's eyes. She stood up as the officials worked to separate Matt and Paul and marched over to the fray. She inserted herself between Matt and Paul with a slight ease and reared her arm back, hitting Paul across the face with a slap that put Stephanie's best to shame.

"How dare you. How dare you, Paul. How dare you interfere with something that doesn't involve you! How dare you do this to him again! When will it occur to you that it doesn't matter to me what you thing of my relationship with Jeff and no matter what you do, there's nothing that's pulling us apart, so why are you still trying?! Give up, Paul, please, just fucking give up and leave us alone. Butt out of my life and let me live."

Paul said nothing but kept a hard glare fixated on his sister.

"Just leave us alone."

Tears shone in Piper's eyes as she turned away and started to go back to Jeff, Paul spoke.

"Next time, be aware of where you book your hotel room. The rooms aren't soundproof," Paul moved forward, grabbing Piper's elbow forcefully, leaning down to her ear. "I was in the room next door. I knew you were a whore, that only confirmed my beliefs."


	17. Maybe It's Not Too Late Chapter 17

The stinging tears fell down Piper's cheeks, doing her best to scowl at her brother; Piper turned on her heel and strode away with long, quick strides, a whole new argument bursting in her wake. Amy left the assistance of Jeff to Trish and Stacy and headed down the hallway after Piper. She saw her hair whip around the corner behind her and followed the wisps of black that lead her to her friend. Piper leaned against a vacant lockeroom door, the metal of the door was cool against her flushed skin but didn?t stifle the tears from falling down her cheeks. Amy approached slowly, gently laying a hand on Piper?s forearm. The raven-haired girl turned to her companion, tearful and angry she wiped her face and sighed.

"I guess he's right, then."

"What about?"

"I'm a whore, aren't I? Sleep with one guy and you've got a label for life," Piper sniffled. "Y'know, it was just Jeff. I didn't _think_ it was wrong...but...that's what I was always told. That it was...wrong before I got married, y'know? My mother drilled that into my head since the day I was able to know I liked boys. That sort of thing was "sacred" and all that."

"Piper it's still that way. If you love and adore and cherish Jeff as much as I know you do then you weren't wrong. You can't be wrong for feeling something sweetie. Just because you and Jeff aren't married doesn't mean that it didn't mean anything to you, right? It _meant_ something to you for you to give something like that to him that you know well you can't have back."

"I know Aimes...its just...principles..."

"Fuck principles! They've got nothing to do with your feelings. You act on your feelings, your principles can _guide_ you but they don't _make_ you. And your principles can be very different to your parent's. That's what makes you part of your generation. What was right for them isn't necessarily right for you. You don't always have to follow what they had planned out for you when you were little."

"Aimes...I've always wanted to do everything my parents told me not to do. They said not to get my tattoo, I did it anyway. They told me not to dye my hair black, I did it anyway. They told me to be inside by nine when I got my license; I stayed out until eleven-thirty. They told me not to have sex until I got married...I didn't do that. It was the only promise I wanted to keep...now I feel like I?ve done something wrong."

"Piper hun, there's nothing wrong with what you did. I understand that you promised them that but there really are some promises that are meant to be broken. Your feelings changed. You did nothing wrong. You're not going to hell for it." Amy said.

"That's not how I feel..."

"It _is_ Piper. It's not how your family feels. I can see it in your eyes I know you don't feel that way because its such and old-time backward way of thinking that. Honey you have slept with _one_ man in your entire life that doesn't make you a whore or a jezebel or whatever else you've been told you'd be called. It just doesn't equal out," Amy said, then sighed. "Piper don't be controlled by this. Don't let Paul convince you of something that isn't true. He's just trying to get into your head, don't let him. You've gotten through his shit so far; don?t let this throw a wall in your way."

Piper stood silent for a moment or two then looked at Amy, the drying tears on her face being rewetted with new ones. Amy frowned, assuming her speech didn?t affect the other girl at all but Piper broke a small smile and hugged her friend.

"Amy seriously, what would I do without you?"

"You can do plenty without me, hun, but I'm always here to help when and if you need it."

"Thanks Amy. I really, really appreciate this."

Piper wiped her face with another smile and hugged Amy again before the two divas headed back to where they had left the crowd. Randy and Dave were helping Jeff up from the ground and Paul had obviously been removed from the scene. Randy's glance turned towards the two approaching divas and gestured with his head, beckoning Piper over. She slid herself between Randy's arm and Jeff's side.

"He's been wondering where you went." Randy said softly.

"Thanks Randy."

The Legend Killer nodded and kissed the top of Piper's head in a brotherly manner and let her take his place beside her boyfriend. She heard Jeff groan as he tried to turn his head to view her she stroked his hair and spoke.

"I'm sorry I just ran off like that...I couldn't take it for a minute."

"It's okay, baby. Don't worry about it I'm okay." Jeff murmured as Piper and Dave helped carry him towards the trainers room.

"I know you're okay but it's not okay what happened...I can't believe he had the audacity to do something like this..."

"You can't," Dave interrupted. "I can. Paul's a bastard, you two had to know something like this was going to happen sooner or later. I mean I'm not saying y'all had anything to do with it, like you y'know prompted him to do it but, I'm just saying you both know how he is and if he found out about whatever happened between you two, he was bound to do something stupid like this. Y'all are good kids and Paul has no business butting in, but y'all also aren't stupid, you knew something was gonna go down."

"Dave, I know what you mean," Piper said softly, looking to Jeff. "We should have been more careful."

---

"Paul I don't have any other choice! Do you realize that if you did what you did today in here out in the streets that you would have been arrested for assault and sent to _jail_! Do you realize how easy you?re getting off?"

"You can't suspend me, Stephanie."

"Would you rather me call Daddy and have you fired because that can be arranged as well. What you did today Paul was out of line, uncalled for, and illegal. You had better be grateful I'm letting you off with _just_ a suspension..."

"Why are you taking her side, Stephanie? You're supposed to be my..."

"I'm taking her side, Paul, because you're _wrong_! What Piper does in her life, and what she and Jeff do as a couple is none of your business. You have no room in their relationship and if you keep this up you're not going to have any room in your little sister's life...if you even do at the moment as it is,"Stephanie scowled. "Now I am serious. Your suspension will last for _one month_ and during the month of your suspension if you come in contact with Piper and Jeff, together or singularly in _any_ way and I catch wind of it- and believe me Paul I will, your suspension will extend another month. If you violate the conditions again your suspension will _never_ be lifted. And in case you don't understand, that means you will be _fired_."

Stephanie scowled at an open-mouthed Paul, spinning on her heel and leaving the room with a slam of the door in her wake. She strode into the trainers room where Jeff was still being examined and Piper was sitting in a chair in the corner. Piper glanced away from Jeff as Stephanie entered the room.

"How is everything?" She asked, giving a smile to Jeff as she walked towards Piper.

"Nothing broken," The medic relayed. "He'll be in a bit of pain for a while though, nothing some Aleve couldn't take care of. All taped up though so stay out of the ring for...maybe a week."

"That'll work out fine." Stephanie said before Jeff could complain.

"But what about the storyline, Steph?" Piper asked.

"Don't worry about Evolution right now. They are without a leader for a month."

Piper jumped up from her seat. "You suspended Paul for a month?"

"Yes, and he's under the condition that if he sees you and Jeff, alone or together, and does anything at all, verbal, or physical, his suspension is extended for another month, and if he breaks the conditions of the suspension again, he's fired. Plain and simple."

Piper smiled and hugged Stephanie. "Even _he_ could understand that! Thank you, Steph!"

"Absolutely. But when he comes back I want you two to be careful, please. We don?t need a repeat of this evening."

"We will Stephanie, most definitely." Jeff said as the trainer finished taping up his midsection.

"If Paul is as serious about this company as he says he is then he won't be doing anything stupid to mess up this suspension," Piper said. "And there's no way he'll be coming back any sooner, right?"

"Exactly. Its one month, and not a day sooner."

"Stephanie McMahon, you are the coolest. I can't thank you enough for everything you do."

"Well Piper, it wasn't only just because it involves you, I would have done it were it anybody else simply because what he did was illegal anywhere else. It was blatantly unprovoked assault and I had to do it. It wouldn?t be fair otherwise."

"I understand, and I thank you anyway, Steph. My life...and Jeff's is going to be a lot easier for a month."

---

After the ordeal at the arena was over, Jeff and Piper retreated to their hotel room. Piper lay on her back on the bed, her eyes flicking between the ceiling above her and the shirtless man beside her when he spoke. Jeff rolled over and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and she smiled and snuggled down into his shoulder, he chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head.

"Piper...can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh." She murmured into his skin.

"Earlier...when you walked away, after everything happened...what was wrong?"

Piper lifted her head from Jeff's shoulder and looked up at him.

"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine, honey."

"No, it's not that...it's just...Amy and I had a long talk about it and it was a little...hard, I guess. It's not that I don't want to talk about it it's just that...Well there's a whole explanation behind it."

"What happened? I mean, before you left, I was kinda out of it on the floor there."

"Um, essentially Paul called me a whore and that's when I left and Amy came after me. What it is, really, is that ever since I was a little girl I've done pretty much everything my parents told me not to do, but the one thing that I always told them and myself that I'd never do was sleep with someone before I got married and it was really important to me, but Amy helped me realize how ridiculous that was. I mean it's not really ridiculous because there are a lot of people out there that do it but it wasn't going to work for me any more. I found someone that I'm totally in love with and I trust more than anyone I've ever trusted in my whole life and I really felt right about it. She helped me understand that because I was beating myself up over it because part of me felt like I betrayed something and that I was a whore for it but I get it now, y'know? It wasn't something that was meant to stick with me and I should have realized that."

Jeff pulled Piper closer and kissed her forehead gently. "You're not a whore, baby. Don't think that because you're not. I feel honored that you trust me so much and I promise that I'll do what I can to never, ever betray that trust in any way. I promise."

"Jeff I know you would never do anything to hurt me. I trust you if I didn't I never would have gone through with it last night, and you know that. I have no regrets about it I just ...for a minute started to believe what Paul was telling me because that?s what got drilled into my head ever since I was little. So I guess it kinda took over my head for a few minutes but...y'know I understand now."

"I'm glad, because he had no right at all to say that to you or call you something like that and you have no reason to believe it because it's not true. I'm glad Stephanie did what she did. Now we can both breathe a little easier."

"At least for a month." Piper said behind a yawn.

"A month is better than nothing."

Piper nodded as Jeff reached over her to turn off the light on the bedside table. He folded the girl into his arms and kissed her cheek before they both drifted off the sleep.

---

"So, Piper, we have a match tonight." Trish said as she entered the arena, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"Huh...what? We do?"

"We do, girl! Steph told me. Since Evolution is practically out of the picture for a while, you and I are going to feud for a while until they're back in action."

"It makes sense, seeing as you were the first person Viv got her hands on." Piper laughed, following Trish to the Divas lockeroom.

"Exactly, so Trish is about to get her revenge." She laughed.

Piper laughed and took a seat next to Christy after greeting the new diva. Trish pulled up a chair in front of the two and sat, legs crossed.

"So how's Jeff doing?" She asked.

"He's good. Still sore, y'know but he's good." Piper replied with a slight smile.

"What happened? I mean, I don't want to be nosy or anything, but I heard a lot of commotion last night..." Christy asked.

"Long story short, Paul pretty much attacked Jeff over something that's none of his business and never will be. Stephanie suspended him for a month...under some conditions."

Christy made a surprised 'o' shape with her mouth, shaking her head. "What a jerk. I'm sorry, Piper."

"Don't worry about it..."

"What! Steph _suspended_ Paul?" Trish blurted.

"Blonde much, Patricia? We were just talking about that, sweetheart. Steph suspended Paul for a month and if he sees me and Jeff together or apart and does anything at all, he's suspended for another month if he does it again, he's fired."

Both Trish and Christy's jaws dropped to the ground. "Seriously?" They said.

"Seriously. I mean, it's just a month, but it's a month where I don't have a monkey on my back."

"Hey that's great, Piper. I mean, not that it had to come about this way, but it's good that you're getting a break," Christy said. "I may not know the whole story but, well, it doesn't seem great from what I caught."

Piper smiled. "It's cool, Christy, I appreciate the sentiment," Another smile. "So, how do you like it here?"

"Oh I like it a lot. Everyone is so nice and understanding. I love the environment and everything. It's great."

"That's awesome," Piper said. "I'm glad you like it. How's the training?"

"It's a little rough but I didn't expect anything less," Christy smiled. "But it's going really, really well."

"I'm glad you don't expect it to be easy," Trish said. "A lot of girls come in and think they just have to look pretty. I'm glad you're really working on it."

Piper nodded. "Same here, and the best of luck to you, Christy."

The redhead smiled brightly. "Thank you girls!"

The two divas smiled back as Piper excused herself to hair and makeup. On her way there, without notice, Randy Orton stepped up into stride with her. He slung his arm around her shoulders and, surprised, Piper shoved him away, slapping his chest. Realizing who it was, Piper laughed and pushed him playfully.

"Must you! Damn, Randy!"

The Legend Killer laughed. "Sometimes it's almost worth it to see you squirm, chick."

"Haha, you're funny Orton."

Randy slung his arm over her shoulder again. "So. I heard you ditched Paul for a month."

"Heard? Or got told via the horse's mouth."

"You know all too well."

"Right. What'd he say?"

"I was paying attention? All I heard was 'RAH, blah, blah, RAH suspended for a month'. Y'know, selective hearing." Randy laughed.

Piper laughed, clutching Randy's waist. "You amaze me sometimes, Orton, you really do. That's hysterical!"

"I only speak the truth!" He laughed. "Where you off to?"

"Getting all prettied up for my match tonight. Viv against Trish."

"Ooh, is that right? Well you know I love Trish dearly, but I think hellcat is gonna do some ass kicking."

"You're only saying that because you're still scared I'll make good on that intestine thing."

Randy lowered his head jokingly. "Guilty."

Piper giggled and patted Randy's back. "I thought we talked about that."

"Yeah...but I'm scared of you when you get angry."

"Well then you know not to make me angry then, right?" Piper winked.

"Damn straight!"

The raven-haired girl laughed again, twisting from under Randy's shoulder as they approached the hair and makeup stations. She said her goodbyes to him and headed off to get ready for the night. After getting her hair and makeup done Piper returned to the Diva's lockeroom to change into her ring gear for the night.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I know this is a really awkward place to stop a chapter, but I was running out of ideas for this chapter and figured it'd be easier to stop it here and start the next chapter with the RAW match. I apologize about how long it's taken to update this fic but I've got major writer's block with it. I'll try really hard to get chapters up more quickly. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! 


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